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THE 



SQUARE-RIGGED CRUISER; 



LORRAIN'S SEA-SERMONS 



DEDICATED TO THE 

UNITED STATES NAVY, OFFICERS AND SEAMEN OF AMER- 
ICAN MERCHANTMEN, AND ALL TRUE-BLUES OF 
EVERY NATION UNDER HEAVEN; 

WHETHER 

COURSING ON THE HIGH SEAS, LAKES AND RIVERS OF 
THIS PLANET, OR LAID UP IN ORD'NARY. 



ALFRED M. LORRAIN, 

OF THE OHIO CONFERENCE. 




Cincinnati: 

PRINTED AT THE METHODIST BOOK CONCERN, 
FOR TH;i AUTHOR. 



R. P. THOMPSOJS, PRINTRK. 
1851. 



^11 

9^ b 



Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1851, 

BY ALFRED M. LORRAIN, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the District of Ohio. 



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PREFACE. 



It gives ine sincere pleasure to make a few prefa- 
tory remarks to this publication, at the request of 
the author. Our acquaintance commenced in early 
life, and soon ripened into a strong friendship which 
has increased with the lapse of years, and now, 
being, by the blessing of God, "time-honored," I 
doubt not will always last. 

The author of this volume of sermons served an 
apprenticeship on the seas, and afterward sailed as 
an officer for some time, and may well be supposed 
to have a pretty thorough acquaintance with the 
usages of mariners. Still, it must appertain to the 
maritime community to pronounce on the merit of 
the sermons, as it respects their nautical peculiarity. 

No doubt many thousands will read these sermons 
who never had any connection with the seas; such 
may be assured they will find much to interest, to 
edify, and to comfort them. The race of man every- 
where takes an especial interest in every thing be- 
longing to the watery world; and it has been owing 
partly to this, perhaps, that these discourses have 
been delivered by the author in his itinerant labors, 
in various parts of our country, with so much eclat 
and success. Those of our population, who have 
some knowledge of the affairs of "old ocean," and 



4 Preface. 

they are not a few, have heard them in good faith, 
and having been much profited, they will rejoice in 
their appearance in book form. Others have pro- 
fessed to be edified, although they admitted they 
could not understand many of the phrases used; yet 
the novelty of the language seemed so to attract and 
fix their attention, as to prepare them to receive more 
readily the moral teachings found in the sermons, 
which are adapted to all classes, and of easy appre- 
hension. Some of this class, however, may meet 
with technicalities, which might appear to them awk- 
ward, or improperly applied. Others may object to 
the structure and divisions of the sermons, as not 
being scientifically correct. The author, in his pri- 
vate correspondence with me, insists "that it is 
necessary that such readers should bear it in mind, 
that the work is intended particularly for sailors, 
whose circumstances differ widely from those on 
land. The military exercise itself is not the same 
on shipboard that it is in the tented field; even bread, 
the staff of life, is there reduced to a flinty temper- 
ament; and if the luxury of milk is enjoyed at all, 
it must of necessity be of goats, and not of kine." 
The author claims "that it is not best to encumber 
with nice divisions and subdivisions a book, the taking 
up and laying down of which must be frequently 
determined by wind and weather — the fluctuations 
and shiftings of the dog vane." 

The reader will perceive that there are ten ser- 
mons, each having an appropriate hymn at the be- 
ginning, and another at the close. The volume is 



Preface. 5 

designed, not only as a companion for the individual, 
but as a book of devotion: in some sort, to supply 
the place of a chaplain in the navy, and on board 
of merchant vessels; for by the help of it, the pray- 
ing man may perform divine service every Sabbath, 
while navigating the high seas, or lakes. 

It might be acceptable to the reader to have some 
brief remarks on the subject and design of each ser- 
mon separately. 

1. Wonders in the Deep. — This asserts the im- 
partial regard of the Almighty, in respect to man, 
whether on the land or on the sea, as displayed in 
his glorious works of creation, providence, and grace; 
so that the sailor may not in one mood, say with 
desponding Jonah, "lam cast out of thy sight;" or, 
in another, presumptuously maintain, "because I am 
a poor sailor, subject to so many deprivations and 
disasters, without the means and appliances of the 
Gospel, God will mercifully save me, irrespective of 
moral qualifications.' ' 

2. The Anchor. — This exhibits the analogy of a 
literal voyage, and the more important voyage of 
human life. The anchor has ever been a favorite 
figure of the Christian, of that hope which maketh 
not ashamed, and is thus defined in the discourse. 

3. All Hands, Ahoy! — This sermon is devoted to 
the extent of human salvation: showing that the 
vilest sinner may, by repentance toward God, and 
faith in Christ, attain that rest which is realized by 
the children of God. It was while the author was 
delivering the substance of this discourse at Colum- 



6 Preface. 

bus, Ohio, many years ago, comparing the case of a 
sinner to a ship about to be wrecked, a sailor sud- 
denly sprung out into the aisle — rushed forward in 
much confusion, then quickly returned to his seat, 
under manifest embarrassment. He was asked, 
shortly after, the cause of his excitement. "Why, 
sir," said he, "the minister had me out to sea again, 
before I knew it, and raised a thundering storm. 
Here she was, bearing down on a lee-shore, and ready 
to strike on the rocks. Every fellow on board stood 
gazing, with his nippers in his pockets. What could 
I do, but rush forward to let go the foresheet? But 
never a foresheet could I find; for I was still in the 
church." 

4. A Voyage to Davy Jones's Locker, etc. — This 
represents Jonah as a striking type of the voluntary 
sacrifice, and triumphant resurrection of our blessed 
Savior. It is also a pointed rebuke of those unrea- 
sonable superstitions which some seamen have found- 
ed upon the narrative, and which have sometimes 
influenced them into a course of conduct toward 
ministers, very foreign to that character of universal 
benevolence by which the profession is generally 
distinguished. 

5. The Levanter. — This distinguishes between 
wholesome and useless fears; and is also a running 
narrative of the disastrous voyage of St. Paul, in 
which many important, practical truths are illus- 
trated and enforced. 

6. Sea-Fight. — This is descriptive of the sinner's 
conflict — the flesh warring against the spirit, and the 



Preface. 7 

spirit against the flesh. It is partly allegorical; but 
will be properly esteemed by all who serve on ships 
of war. 

7. Relief at the Helm. — This treats particularly 
of the sins of the tongue, and the only remedy. It 
is not only appropriate for a book of sea-sermons, 
but worthy of the attention of all persons. 

8. Storm of Galilee. — Pointing out the most re- 
markable features, in which our Lord differs from 
our common human nature. Some very useful doc- 
trines are examined in connection with this subject. 

9. Soulwreck. — Warning the Christian of dan- 
gers by the way. 

10. Short Trip. — A view of the shortness of life, 
the rapid flight of time, and the certainty of death, 
as it appeared to Job, under the figure of a swift- 
sailing ship. 

Those who have closely observed how a sermon 
differs with itself when orally delivered, and when 
presented to the eye in the impressions of cold type, 
will not expect these discourses to be clothed with 
the same unction as when they were delivered by the 
energetic author to crowded congregations, with all 
his sailor fervor and habitudes. We, however, have 
good grounds to hope that they will continue to exert 
much moral power, and be eminently useful in this 
form, long after the voice of the now living minister 
is hushed in the silence of the grave. 

We hope, also, that this book will spread, not only 
on the seas, but through all lands, especially in our 
own country, and that its circulation will excite in 



8 Preface. 

all Churches a just concern for the vast population 
of sailors who now not only traverse the seas, but 
have penetrated the remotest lakes and rivers of our 
mighty continent. 0, will not all Christians sympa- 
thize with this important and useful class of their 
race, and by the distribution of this book and other 
means, labor for their salvation and happiness? 

"The Square-Rigged Cruiser" is now sent forth, 
to sail over the world, under the command of the 
great Head of the Church; and will be accompanied 
with many prayers that she may make a prosperous 
voyage, touch at many hearts, and convey to myr- 
iads of precious souls the inestimable "treasures of 
wisdom and knowledge — the unsearchable riches of 
Christ.' ' 

John F. Wright. 

Cincinnati, March 31, 1851. 



CONTENTS 



SERMON I. 

WONDERS IN THE DEEP. 

■ They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in the 
great waters ; these see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in 
the deep," etc., Psalm cvii, 23-30. Page 15 

SERMON II. 

creation's sheet- anchor, and man's best boweb. 

"Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul," etc., Hebrews 
vi, 19, 20. 37 

SERMON m. 

ALL HANDS, AHOt! 

"Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will 
give you rest," Matthew xi, 28. 59 

SERMON IV. 

A VOYAGE TO DAVY JONES'S LOCKER AND BACK. 

M So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What mean- 
est thou, 0, sleeper?" etc., Jonah i, 6. 80 

SERMON V. 

THE LEVANTER. 

M Saying, Fear not, Paul, thou must be brought before Caesar," 
etc., Actsxxvii, 24. 103 

SERMON VI. 

SEA-FIGHT. 

"O, that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had 

thy peace been as a river," Isaiah xlviii, 18. 129 

9 



10 Contents 



SERMON VH. 

BELIEF AT THE HELM. 



"Behold, also, the ships, which though they he so great," etc., 
James iii, 4, 5. Page 156 

SERMON Yin. 

STORM OF GALILEE. 

"But the men marveled, saying, What manner of man is this, 
that even the winds and the seas obey him?" Matt, viii, 27. • • • • 182 

SERMON IX. 

SOULWRECK. 

"Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put 
away concerning faith have made shipwreck," 1 Tim. i, 19 203 

SERMON X. 

SHORT TRIP. 

"They are passed away as the swift ships," Job ix, 26. 232 



INTRODUCTION 



There has been, of late years, a great ref- 
ormation among seamen. Bethels have been 
established, and chaplains have been appointed 
in many ports, both at home and abroad ; and 
many cheering revivals have taken place. "We 
believe that all this has been by the direction 
of a wise and holy God. When our Savior 
began to preach his own everlasting Gospel, 
he chose his principal ministers from the sea. 
True, it was an inland sea — a lake ; but, still, 
it was one of the principal seas of the Lord's 
chosen nation. And in bringing in the latter- 
day glory, it is not incredible that seamen 
should be called to bear an important part. 
The author of this work spent the morning of 
his life at sea, both afore and abaft the mast. 
His heart and his affections still twine around 
his shipmates. The most vivid and lifelike 
dreams, that come over him in the slumbers of 
the night, are dressed in marine scenery. Then 
he is on board, either as a missionary, or a 
sailor; but always under a sense of religious 
obligation. At such times, the motion of the 



11 



12 Introduction. 

ship, the peculiar odor of the rigging, the saline 
savor of the Atlantic atmosphere, are all real- 
ized with the most indisputable certainty ; but 
he awakes, and finds himself securely moored, 
by domestic associations, in the far west. He 
reads of their happy meetings — of their bright 
conversions, and would love to mingle in their 
sincere and artless communion ; but his lot for- 
bids. While he rejoices in the abundant min- 
isterial provision which is made for seamen, 
while in port, he knows that their brief stay on 
land is a kind of parenthesis in their being — 
a time of extraordinary excitement — of meeting 
and greeting of connections and friends, if not 
a time of indulgences less innocent. Perhaps 
there is no time when the sailor is so accessible 
to the Gospel, as when he is at home — on the 
mountain-wave. Then he is removed from 
many powerful temptations, and the sober re- 
alities of life fall on him. Then he has oppor- 
tunity, in his watches below, to read, and to 
meditate on religious truths. We can hardly 
look forward to any time, when every vessel 
can be supplied with a living minister. These 
considerations have moved the author to put 
out this small volume. It might serve as a 
pocket-companion for the sailor. It is, however, 
so designed as to be an auxiliary to the pious 
captain, in holding religious service on the 



Introduction. 13 

Sabbath. He thought, at first, of having a 
prayer at the beginning and ending of each 
sermon; but on reflection, it seemed to him 
that praying to God is coming to close quarters, 
like throwing out our grappling-irons, when it 
is best for all hands to lean on their own re- 
sources. The Lord loves the warm and sincere 
prayer, that comes from a contrite heart, 

"Though thought he hroken, language lame." 

The author sends forth this volume, humbly 
imploring the God of the land and the sea, to 
follow it with his blessing, and to make it use- 
ful to many, 

" When his poor, lisping, stammering tongue, 
Lies silent in the grave." 

Alfred M. Lobkain. 
Point Rarmar, 0., March 4, 1851. 



THE 

SQUARE-RIGGED CRUISER; 

OB, 

LORRAIN'S SEA-SERMONS. 

SERMON I. 
Wonders in the Deep. 

Those who frequent the dangerous main, 
In quest of pleasure, health, or gain, 
Should deeply on their minds record, 
The wondrous blessings of the Lord. 

He oft commands the furious winds, 
To scourge them for repeated sins ; 
The obedient winds his will perform, 
Unite, and swell the gathering storm. 

The shattered Tessel, to the blast, 
Resigns her rigging, sails, and mast, 
And 'fore the unbridled gale is borne, 
With squalls and billows scathed and torn. 

Sometimes she caps the stormy scene ; 
Sometimes she, hopeless, sinks between 
Enormous seas, which wildly spread 
Their foaming horrors o'er her head. 

And now, the deeply-chastened crew, 
Their guilty course with sorrow view, 
And fainting at the threat'ning roar, , 
They languish for the distant shore ; 

While on their humbled, staggering knees, 
To heaven they send their noisy pleas ; 
And loud, from every rocking wave, 
They cry, "0, Lord, in mercy save!" 

15 



16 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

The Lord, in pity, hears them plead, 
And bids the frightful gale recede — 
Sends milder breezes to escort, 
And waft them to their destined port. 

0, that the safely-landed crew, 
To God, would render praises due ; 
Still fear and serve him on the shore, 
And wander from their Lord no more ! 



" They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in the 
great waters ; these see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in 
the deep," etc., Psalm cvii, 23-30. 

Some seamen seem to think, that because they are 
seamen, and are exposed to extraordinary dangers 
and privations, in this world, they will not be judged 
like other men; and that the Lord will save them, 
merely because they are poor sailors. Our text 
conveys a different idea. It shows us that God ex- 
ercises an impartial government over the children 
of men. Having formed the sea, as well as the dry 
land, his jurisdiction is extended over both. His 
works are manifest to all, and all are left without 
excuse. " They that go down to the sea in ships " — 
captains, officers, seamen, passengers, and all who 
go to sea, whether for pleasure, health, or gain; 
these see the works of the Lord. 

I. The works of creation. In traversing the ocean, 
we do not meet with as great a variety of scenery, 
as we do in traveling on the land. There are no 
verdant mountains and flowery vales; no frightful 
precipices and gloomy dells. But the prospect, at 
sea, is by no means a dull uniformity. It is consid- 
erably varied and diversified, by weather, and dif- 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 17 

ferent grades of wind ; from the gentle zephyr, that 
slightly ruffles the surface, to the raging tempest, 
that dashes the foaming billows to the skies, till all 
seems to be tumbled into lawless, but sublime con- 
fusion. And my mind has never been more over- 
powered, by the grandeur of creation, than when I 
have been clinging, a giddy sailor-boy, at the mast- 
head, almost identified with the driving tempest. If, 
on the land, we are pleased with the animated works 
of God, from the tall elephant that roves through 
the forests of Afriea, to the smallest insect that 
creeps beneath our feet, we are no less delighted 
with the living wonders of the great deep. Hear 
the account which our Creator himself gives of the 
mighty king of floods: "The arrow can not make 
him flee. Sling-stones are turned, with him, into 
stubble. He laugheth at the shaking of a spear. 
He maketh the deep to boil like a pot of ointment. 
He maketh a path to shine after him. One would 
think the deep to be hoary. Upon the earth there 
is not his like, who is made without fear." 

Yes, we have ample room for observation: from 
the monstrous whale, who spouts his pride to the 
heavens, down to the restless flying-fish, that is 
scarcely satisfied with the enjoyment of two elements. 
Observe the little nautilus. Although it scarcely 
borders on animation, yet, furnished with sail and 
rudder, it navigates the seas, with a precision which 
would beggar the calculations of a Hamilton Moore. 
When driven by storms from the latitude of its na- 
tivity, it beats its passage back to its sacred home. 



18 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

Where is the ship, that can lie so near the wind? 
Where the crew, that can make and take in sail with 
such facility? The "wonders of God," also, are 
seen on the sea, as well as on the land. 

We have not time, here, to dwell on all the won- 
ders of the great deep. We might give the water- 
spout as an example. For several years we had an 
opportunity of observing the singular operations and 
freaks of this great phenomenon. But while on a 
voyage to New Orleans, we were brought into a very 
close and dangerous investigation of this wonder of 
the deep. Our attention was arrested by a little 
dark cloud to windward, by its remaining perfectly 
stationary, notwithstanding considerable breeze was 
stirring at the time. Presently, a black streak shot 
down from it, and, winding about in a tortuous, ser- 
pentine manner, it fastened upon the waters; it then 
began to swell and enlarge, till it seemed to be 
about the size of our mainmast. In the mean time, 
the cloud spread wider, and grew blacker. Presently 
the spout withdrew from the sea, slowly winding up 
like a corkscrew. But so great was the suction, 
that the water rose, and followed it to a consider- 
able hight, and presented to the eyes of the admir- 
ing crew, the novel spectacle of a watery mound. 
In a few moments it returned, lean and meager, as 
at the beginning, and fastened with increased greed- 
iness on the water, and continued to draw and swell, 
till failing gradually, at its junction with the cloud, 
it fell into the sea. The cloud, now loosened from 
its anchorage, rolled swiftly and majestically over 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 19 

our heads, to the no small relief of all on board; 
for I never knew an incident at sea to excite a more 
intense and painful interest. For my part, I could 
not help exclaiming, "Surely, some angelic agent of 
heaven is concealed behind that cloud, executing, 
■with a masterly hand, the orders of the upper world!" 
The whole operation appeared so mechanical, that 
it seemed to me as though we had intruded into 
one of those secret places of the Almighty, where 
he prepares the refreshing showers, to water and 
revive distant mountains. But the wonders of the 
Lord, displayed on the deep, are great and many; 
and well might the poet exclaim, 

" Shout to the Lord, ye surging seas, 
In your eternal roar ; 
Let wave to wave resound his praise, 
And shore reply to shore." 

II. They see the work of divine Providence. The 
work of providence is as great as the work of crea- 
tion. It requires as much power to uphold and 
sustain all things, continually, as it did to create 
them. There are some who acknowledge a general, 
but deny a particular providence. They believe 
that God superintends the rise and fall of nations — 
that he has something to do with victories and de- 
feats — the destruction of fleets and armies; but they 
do not believe that he interferes with the private 
concerns of individuals. Now, what would we think 
of that man, who would acknowledge the existence 
of a ship, and at the same time deny the beams, 
timbers, spars, and rigging, that constitute the ship? 



20 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

Who does not see that a general providence is made 
up of particulars? It is said by objectors, that it is 
degrading to the character of the supreme Being to 
suppose that he will condescend to notice small 
matters, while he has such an immense universe to 
manage. But this is rather a reflection upon his in- 
finite perfection. It is true that a man, however 
great he may be, can not attend, properly, to more 
than one thing at a time; and this is a consequence 
of his imperfection — his limited and finite powers. 
And to suppose that the Almighty can not attend to 
small things, because he has so many worlds to gov- 
ern, is to make him like one of us. How much more 
sublime is the doctrine of the Bible, that while with 
one glance he takes in the universe, the smallest 
particle that is floating in the atmosphere does not 
escape his attention; the hairs of our head are all 
numbered, and not a sparrow can fall to the ground 
without his notice! 

An infidel once overtook a shepherd going to 
Church. "Well, my man," said he, "where are you 
going?" The good man replied, "To the church — 
to worship God." "What, do you expect to find 
God in a house?" said the infidel, and added, "How 
big, or, rather, how little do you suppose your God 
to be?" The humble Christian, stretching forth one 
of his hands toward the skies, and laying the other 
on his bosom, solemnly exclaimed, "My God is so 
great, that the heaven of heavens can not contain 
him; and yet he is so small, that he condescends to 
dwell in my poor heart." 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons* 21 

Again: others have contended that the devil has 
the command of the winds. To prove this, it has 
been said, that he is called, in the Scriptures, the 
prince of the power of the air. After all that has 
been said on that passage, we are not convinced that 
it means any thing more, than that the malign and 
powerful influence of the devil is diffused abroad 
among the children of disobedience, as the atmos- 
pherical air pervades the creation. We admit, that 
when the Lord is about to execute the strange work 
of judgment, he sometimes employs evil spirits, and 
that because the work of destruction is more agree- 
able to them, than it is to the pure and holy ones, 
who love to fly on errands of mercy, and to wait on 
those who shall be heirs of salvation. The Lord 
once gave the devil the command of the wind for a 
little while, for the purpose of afflicting Job; but 
even then he had his restrictions: "Thus far shalt 
thou go, and no farther." But whether good or evil 
spirits are employed, our text shows that it is the 
Lord who stands at the helm — it is "he who com- 
mandeth and raiseth the stormy winds, that lifteth 
up the waves thereof." And let no man rob the 
sailor of this comfort; for if, in the midst of the 
ragings of the tempest, the devil is to have his trick 
at the wheel, we might well exclaim, "Woe to the 
inhabitants of the sea!" 

We might know, moreover, that it is the Lord 
who " commandeth," from the circumstance of the 
gale generally coming on in such a merciful and 
gradual manner, as to afford the skillful captain an 



22 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

opportunity to prepare to meet its violence. He 
generally has premonitory symptoms of its coming. 
First, he reluctantly takes in his light sails. But, as 
the wind increases, he is under the necessity of 
reefing, double-reefing, and close-reefing. Now, 
they send down their top-gallant-yards and masts; 
and, perhaps, the hands have scarcely reached the 
decks before they are ordered up to hand the top- 
sails. 

" Now it freshens ! Set the hraces ; 
Quick the top-sail sheets let go ! 
Luff, hoys, luff! don't make wry faces; 
Up the top-sails nimbly clew!" 

Sometimes they are under the necessity of send- 
ing down the top-sail-yards, and housing the top- 
masts. We were once in a gale, when we had to 
lower down our mainyard and lash it athwart the 
beam, while the ship scudded under bare poles. 
Sometimes it gets worse still, and they have to cut 
away the masts. But the gale becomes a perfect 
hurricane, and all hope of being saved is entirely 
taken away. This is about the situation which is 
described in our text. " They are at their wits* 
end." They have come to the end of all their 
knowledge in seamanship and navigation. " They 
mount up to heaven; they go down again into the 
deep." Now "their souls are melted, because of 
trouble" The active sailor can scarcely keep his 
feet. "They reel to and fro, and stagger like a 
drunken man." Every moment they expect to sink 
into a watery grave. The voice of cursing and 
blasphemy is hushed. In silent anguish they gaze 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 23 

upon each other, in " sad presage." The faithful 
captain, still true to his charge, addresses them in 
language like this: "Well, my brave boys, you have 
done your duty like men. You have my thanks; 
and this is all I can give you in this moment of 
extremity. All has been done that man or seaman- 
ship can do." And then, after a solemn pause, he 
adds, "There is one, and but one, expedient left;" 
and, raising his voice in all the agony of humbled 
nature, he exclaims, "Muster aft all hands! Douse 
your tarpaulins, and let us call on the great God!" 
My Lord! is it come to this? "Bend sinews; bow- 
knees; help, Lord!" " Then call they upon the 
name of the Lord." The cries, the groans, the 
shrieks of the unhappy crew, rise superior to all 
the howlings of the tempest; and He who rides 
upon the wings of the careering wind "looks down 
in mercy on the feeble toil of mortals lost to hope," 
and "delivers them out of all their distresses." 
Instances of such deliverance are too numerous to 
record. Indeed, in many cases, the Lord has 
arrested the sea, in all its rage of tempest, and has, 
emphatically, turned the storm itself into a calm; 
and that in the most astonishing and miraculous 
manner. " Then are they glad, because they be 
quiet." And, truly, there is no mere earthly joy 
superior to that which is realized by men who have 
been thus providentially delivered from a watery 
grave; and that my soul right well knows. Well 
might we add, " 0, that men would praise the Lord 
for his goodness, and for his wonderful dealings 



24 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

with the children of men/" For, when brought 
safely to the desired haven, they too often express 
their joy by acts of sin, by spending their substance 
among harlots, and in riotous living, and drive on 
in their downward career to ruin, as if hell kicked 
them on end. 0, sinner, pay unto the Lord your 
vows, and sin against his throne no more! 

III. They see the work of divine grace. The 
work of grace has been experienced on the high 
seas, almost for time immemorial. In ancient times 
it used to be said, "Would you teach your boy to 
pray? send him to sea." But, for generations past, 
sailors have been proverbial for wickedness. They 
were so, when we followed the sea. But, even in 
that dark day, we saw, here and there, a traveler to 
Mount Zion. They were lights in a dark place, and 
were, "like angels' visits, few and far between. " 
Lately there has been a great revival among sea- 
men. It is not uncommon to find religious officers 
and religious sailors. On some vessels, they have 
their regular morning and evening prayers. Classes 
have been formed, even in the navy. May God 
revive his work still more, till every ship shall 
become a chapel, every officer a minister of Christ, 
and every sailor a temple of the blessed Spirit! 
Glory to God! the night is far spent, and the day is 
at hand! We know that it is the fourth watch of 
the night; for Jesus is walking triumphantly on the 
seas. But, it may be asked, how does the work of 
grace loom on the seas? There are different ideas 
concerning it there, as well as on the land. Some 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 25 

think that it is the sovereign work of God, in which 
the moral agency of man has no concern. Others 
go into the opposite extreme, and think that man 
possesses natural powers, by which he may prepare 
himself for the joys of an endless life. These two 
extremes are equally false — equally ruinous. Scrip- 
ture and experience show us a middle course, and 
here we have plain sailing. There are some things 
in the great work of religion which are wrought by 
the sovereignty of the Almighty, regardless of the 
will of man, and sometimes in direct opposition to 
his will. There are other things which are required 
of man, quickened, as he is, by the grace which 
bringeth salvation. 

1. Conviction is the sovereign work of God, and, 
because it is his work, man is not commanded to do 
it. But the word of God plainly shows that the 
Holy Spirit will do this. He will reprove the world 
of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment to come. 

2. Repentance and faith are fairly referred to 
man, the Lord having endued him with power to 
act. Hence, it is said, " Repent ye, and he con- 
verted." This is a work which God, in the nature 
of things, can not do, and which he has never 
promised to do, for man. 

3. Regeneration, or the entire renewal of our 
nature, in the image of Him who created us, is a 
work which nothing but almighty Power can per- 
form. 

Now for an illustration. God has something to 
do even in navigation; so has man. Man can hoist 



26 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

his sails, board tacks, and gather aft; but, after all 
this, he can not raise the wind; and, when it is 
raised, he can not make it yeer and haul to suit his 
purpose. If he labors and toils with all his strength, 
and the Lord withholds the breeze, he can make no 
headway. On the other hand, if the most favor- 
able breezes should be sent, and man should remain 
entirely inactive, with his hands in their brackets, 
still there would be no sailing. But when the indus- 
trious seaman has done his duty, set all sail, and 
trimmed his yards, then he may raise his imploring 
eyes to heaven, and say — 

" Be gracious, Heaven ! for now laborious man 
Has done his part; ye fostering breezes, blow !" 

But let us illustrate the work of grace by our 
text. 

1. Conviction. " The Lord commandeth and 
raiseth the stormy wind." Man, previous to con- 
viction, is involved in an awful, deceitful calm; such 
a dead calm, that he is said to be dead in trespasses 
and in sins. His soul is not ruffled by temptation; 
for he yields to the sweeping stream. It is easy 
to drift with the tide. His ignorance of divine 
things, too, is also a fruitful source of false peace 
and tranquillity. " He who knows nothing, fears 
nothing." He is fast asleep on the bosom of carnal 
security. But when the light of God breaks into 
his mind, and discovers to him the holiness of God, 
the purity of his law, and the wretched, fallen con- 
dition of the sinner, there ariseth an awful conflict 
within; a dreadful storm is sprung in the soul. The 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 27 

sinner is torn and agitated by the tempest of Divine 
conviction. The Lord has his own way in "raising 
the stormy wind." He struck Saul to the ground, as 
with a flash of lightning. Peter, James, and John 
he called with a still, small voice, " Follow me.'* 
These calls were equally successful. It requires 
more power to awaken some than to awaken others. 
So it is in natural sleep. When we call all hands, 
on board, some will start, at the first alarm, and 
spring from their berths, in full possession of all 
their faculties; while others must be dragged from 
their nests, and shaken powerfully before they can 
be fully aroused. It is not, then, the manner, but 
the fact, which we inquire into. Have you been 
convinced that you are a sinner in the sight of God, 
exposed to the wrath of Heaven, and in danger of 
eternal fire? If so, it makes little difference whether 
this has been done by a sermon, a shipwreck, a flash 
of lightning, or a still, small voice; the Lord hath 
done it. 

2. Repentance. The sinner who yields to con- 
viction repents. " His soul is melted within him, 
because of trouble." He is troubled at his situation. 
He finds himself tossed on the frightful billows of 
sin, every moment in danger of eternal shipwreck. 
He is troubled, because he has sinned against so 
good a God. And, under the influence of divine 
grace, the Holy Spirit giving him a good will, he 
begins to haul in his light sails of vanity. But still 
the storm increases; the tempest of condemnation 
bears down heavy upon him. "He has come to his 



28 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

wits' end." Yea, *'he staggers to and fro, like a 
drunken man" Sometimes, by a flow of hope, he 
is lifted up to heaven. Again he sinks down into 
the deeps of despair. He now douses every sail of 
opposition; lets fly the last rag of self-righteousness; 
lays to, under bare poles, a poor, helpless, self-con- 
demned, and dependent sinner. " Then calls he 
upon the name of the Lord." Here we would call 
the sinner's attention particularly to the duty of 
prayer. Some will say, " God is unchangeable; and 
how can we hope that our feeble prayers will move 
him from his purpose?" True, God is unchange- 
able; that is, in his character, and in all his glorious 
attributes. He is unchangeably holy, merciful, just, 
and true; and he can not so change as to become 
unholy, cruel, unjust, and false. But, were we to 
say that he does not change, in regard to his deal- 
ings with men, we would contradict his own decla- 
ration: "Thus saith the Lord, At what instant I 
shall speak concerning a nation, to pluck up, to pull 
down, and destroy it. If that nation, against whom 
I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will 
repent of the evil which I thought to do unto them." 
An extraordinary case of this kind you will find in 
the people of Nineveh. The designs of God, con- 
cerning an individual, may change as often as the 
individual changes his moral relation to God; and 
that, too, without the character of God changing. 
If the Lord should love a man to-day because he is 
righteous, and should continue to love him to-mor- 
row, after he has become wicked, then, indeed, 



Lor rain's Sea-Sermons. 29 

would the "whole character of God be changed. He 
would love righteousness to-day and love sin to- 
morrow. When a ship is engaged in lawful com- 
merce, under the American flag, all the laws of our 
country will protect and defend her. But let that 
ship turn, and become a pirate, and take to herself 
a roving commission to sink, burn, and destroy, and 
in one moment all the laws of the land will be lev- 
eled against her, and our men-of-war would pursue 
her from the Atlantic to the Pacific, in order to 
bring her to condign punishment. And would he 
not be a poor, simple lubber, who should say, "How 
have the laws of the United States changed! Yes- 
terday they protected us. Yesterday the American 
frigates would have convoyed, and fought for us, to 
the ends of the earth; but now, behold! they are 
chasing and taking us as lawful prizes!" The laws 
have not changed. They read to-day as they did 
yesterday. But the ship has changed her relation 
to the government, and the laws have, consequently, 
changed in their operation on her. So the character 
and attributes of the Lord change not; but they act 
on vacillating man, according to his moral posi- 
tion — tribulation and anguish to every soul that 
doeth evil; but to him who seeketh honor and 
immortality, eternal life. 

Now, it is on this immutability of God's char- 
acter that we found and predicate all our hopes that 
he will hear and answer prayer. We argue that he 
is the same yesterday, to-day, and forever; and, 
inasmuch as he, in times past, heard and answered 



30 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

the prayers of men, he will still hear and answer. 
Is the Lord's arm shortened at all, that he can not 
save? Is his ear heavy, that he can not hear? 
Then pray earnestly, believe firmly, and the Lord 
will deliver you out of all your troubles. In answer 
to prayer, his providence will save you from a watery 
grave. In answer to prayer, his grace will save 
you from the lake of fire. How appropriate the 
song of Bishop Heber! 

" When through the torn sail the wild tempest is streaming, 
When o'er the dark wave the red lightning is gleaming, 
Nor hope lends a ray the poor seaman to cherish, 
We fly to our Maker, ' Save, Lord, or we perish !' 

0, Jesus, once rocked on the hreast of the billow, 
Aroused, by the shriek of despair, from thy pillow, 
Now seated in glory, the mariner cherish, 
Who cries, in his anguish, ' Save, Lord, or I perish !' 

And, 0, when the whirlpool of passion is raging, 
And Sin in our breasts his wild warfare is waging, 
Then send down thy grace, thy redeemed to cherish; 
Rebuke the destroyer: ' Save, Lord, or we perish!' " 

3. Justification and regeneration. " He bringeth 
them out of all their distresses. He maketh the 
storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still." 
The Spirit of God moves on the dark waters of the 
soul, and says, "Peace, be still!" and there is a 
great calm. The sinner is justified freely, born of 
God, renewed in the spirit of his mind, and all his 
jarring conflicts are hushed to rest. He is filled 
with holy joy. New views, new motives, new feel- 
ings spring up within the soul, and the storm of con- 
viction is turned into a holy calm. " Then is he 
glad." How can he be otherwise? If sailors feel 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 31 

glad when delivered from shipwreck, may not sin- 
ners rejoice when snatched from a gaping hell? Yes, 
they are exceedingly glad. They often shout for 
joy. And even when they do not, if you could see 
their hearts as God sees them, you would see 
nothing but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the 
Holy Ghost. They are mistaken who suppose relig- 
ion to be gloomy. What! gloomy, to be delivered 
from the wrath to come? — gloomy, to have the 
approbation of God, and the testimony of a good 
conscience? 0, no! this would make a devil happy, 
if he could have it. If he could be delivered from 
a guilty conscience, and could taste the pardoning 
love of God, he would shout the high praises of the 
Lord, and shed a halo of glory through the most 
benighted caverns of damnation. 

4. Glorification. " And the Lord bringeth them to 
the desired haven." When I was a little sailor-boy, 
it seemed to me that the day on which we arrived 
was the happiest day of all the voyage. The 
change in our fare, and in our employment; the 
fragrant breezes, that swept over the orchards and 
meadows, and met us on the way; the delightful 
scenery; the singing of the birds on the banks of 
the river; the vivacity of all hands, tended to tran- 
quilize our minds, and fill our hearts with joy. And 
who can describe the meeting of friends, and the 
interest which even strangers took in our arrival? 
But what is all this in comparison with the happi- 
ness which will attend the arrival of a tempest- 
beaten soul in glory! There are many in our Amer- 



32 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

ican ports who have emigrated from England, Ire- 
land, Germany, and other countries. Sometimes 
these hear that some of their dear friends are about 
to weigh anchor, and follow them to this land of 
liberty. What an excitement this news generally 
creates! How anxiously they watch every arrival! 
Presently it is reported, there is another ship in the 
offing. The news spreads through the city, and the 
inhabitants pour down to the wharf. All is anxiety 
while the vessel enters into port. Every eye is 
strained, every spy-glass leveled. How they watch 
the movement of every yard, the touch of every 
buntline, the walk, the gestures of every one on 
board! Now the swelling canvas bears her on. 
She rushes toward the silent crowd. Now they let 
fly their top-sail halyards; clew up their courses; the 
splashing anchor tumbles from the bow; soon the 
bounding jolly-boat makes for the wharf; and now 
they are bowsing her in, with a hearty " Yo-he-vo!" 
My soul! my soul! there is a scene which a seraph 
might riot in! Wives and husbands are clasped 
together. Parents and children rush into each 
other's arms. True, they weep; but they weep 
tears of joy. Even strangers feel the glow; while 
tears of sympathy flow down the cheeks of the 
weather-beaten sailor. 

Well, my hearts of oak, some of our relations 
and messmates have emigrated. And where to? 
Glory to God! to a better country than America! 
They have gone to heaven; to the land of rest; the 
saint's delight; the haveij desired by all way-worn 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 33 

pilgrims. It has long been a matter of dispute, in 
the Church, whether heaven is a state, or place. 
Some think that it is a state, and that our disem- 
bodied friends are all around us. We believe that 
it is a place — a place of habitation. But is it not 
probable that, when our friends die and go to 
heaven, they are permitted to give some informa- 
tion of our spiritual welfare in this world, to those 
whom we love? If so, when some of your afflicted 
classmates shall shoot the solemn gulf, and arrive at 
home, and some of your celestial friends, and bright 
and happy spirits, who are looking out for you to 
come, shall begin to inquire of your state, they may 
answer, and say, "0, they will soon be here! When 
I left the earth, they had their signal up for sailing. 
The doctor had given them up. Death was about 
to sign their clearance. They will soon be here. 
Rest quietly a few moments, under the altar, till 
they have finished their testimony.'* O, what joyful 
news will it be to our friends on the other side of the 
flood! Our kindred on earth will weep around our 
dying bodies; but there will be joy in heaven. And 
0, my brethren, will you permit my religious fancy 
to soar a region higher in the contemplation of this 
glory? For now methinks I hear the look-out 
angel on the hill of Zion cry out, with a voice of 
seven-fold thunder, "Sail ho! sail ho! There is a 
sail in the offing. It is the packet of death. I see 
her signal; and she is crowded with passengers!" O, 
my shipmates, the news will spread like lightning 
through the gold-paved streets of the New Jeru- 



34 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

salem! Now the bright and glittering inhabitants 
pour down to the beach of eternity. And here she 
comes! Alleluiah! Not dependent on the sluggish 
winds of time; but, as quick as the nimble lightning 
shoots athwart the skies, she rushes to the strand. 
Ah! there is the landing-place; the sea-shore that is 
sanded with gold dust, and graveled with diamonds, 
and all manner of precious stones! And, 0, there 
will be shouting! shouting! shouting! on the banks 
of an endless life! Parents and children there will 
meet — will meet to part no more. Wives and hus- 
bands, captains and sailors, preachers and people, 
there will meet — will meet to part no more. This is 
no fiction. For just such a harbor has God pre- 
pared for his weather-beaten Church. In the time 
of Zion's deepest affliction, when wave after wave 
beat over her bows, the Lord addressed her with all 
the tender solicitude of a husband, "0, thou 
afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, 
behold, I will lay thy foundation with sapphires; thy 
gates with agate; all, all thy borders with precious 
stones!" The Lord convicts, and when the sinner 
repents and believes, he converts and sanctifies. 
But some may say, " This repenting, and praying, 
reading, fasting, and watching, is hard work, and we 
are discouraged from undertaking it." We would 
ask if heaven and eternal life are not worth the 
struggle? See the sailor, entering on board a ship, 
to perform a dangerous and difficult voyage! He 
knows he will toil many sleepless nights on deck; 
that he will have dangerous duties to perform; and, 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 35 

probably, pine away for days on short allowance. 
Yet he has an eye to the reward; and when he 
arrives, and receives his wages, and has a few days' 
liberty on shore, he forgets his troubles, and is sat- 
isfied. Shall we thus labor for the things that 
perish? and shall we consider heaven not worth an 
effort? 0, how well will all be rewarded who enter 
into the service of Christ! He will bring them to 
the desired port, and pay them off; not with a few 
perishing shiners; but with crowns of glory, palms 
of victory, durable riches, and all the indescribable 
blessings of the world aloft. And they will have an 
eternity of liberty, to range the blest fields on the 
banks of the river; and Christ will say, " Come, ye 
blessed of my Father; your voyage is over; your 
warfare is accomplished; enter ye into the haven of 
your God!" 

"When wrapped in the shadows of night, 
The sinner reposes at ease, 
A stranger to heavenly light, 
His calm is not broke by a breeze. 

But when on the waters, so dark, 

The spirit of righteousness blows, 
The storm overwhelms his frail bark, 

And shatters his guilty repose. 

Now, sinking with anguish, he rends 

The lowermost hell of despair; 
Now, lifted by hope, he ascends, 

And the heavens re-echo with prayer. 

For mercy, for mercy he calls — 
Self-righteousness justly abhorred; 

Like a drunkard, he staggers, and falls 
At the feet of his crucified Lord. 



36 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

The tempest is hushed to a calm, 
And mercy from heaven descends, 

"While a reconciled God, through the Lamb, 
An unmerited pardon extends. 

The soul with salvation is clad, 
"While the angels such mercy applaud ; 

The justified sinner is glad, 

And shouts, 'The salvation of God!' " 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 37 



SERMON II. 

Creation's Sheet-Anchor and Man's 
Best Bower. 

Jesus, out Anchor firm, abides 

Within the heavenly vail; 
At which Creation safely rides; 

While Time exhausts its gale. 

The Christian's hopeful anchor, too, 

Within the pier is cast, 
And, locked in th' eternal flue, 

Defies the mundane blast. 

Though angry devils rage and roar, 

With tempests loud and dark ; 
Yet Christ, our pilot, -will secure 

The weather-beaten bark. 

And as the tide of time shall swell, 

Death, with his active crew, 
Will man the rattling windlass well, 

And heave us safely through. 

Yes, through the pearly gates we'll pass : 

Escape these lower gales, 
And, on the eternal sea of glass, 

Spread our immortal sails ! 

With the once-scattered squadron meet, 

That sailed in the convoy; 
And join the whole refitted fleet, 

And swell the general joy. 

There, in the heaven-protected dock, 

We'll store our tears away : 
We'll bowse our sorrows all ablock, 

And for full due belay. 



38 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

"This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, hoth sure and 
steadfast, and which entereth into that within the vail, whither 
the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus," Hebrews vi, 19, 20. 

When our Lord was in this world, preaching his 
own Gospel, he generally addressed his congrega- 
tions in the language, or phraseology, to which they 
were accustomed. When speaking to such as were 
engaged in agriculture, he compared the kingdom 
of heaven to a man who went out to sow seed. 
When describing the same kingdom to fishermen, he 
likened it to a net cast into the sea. To persons 
employed in household matters, he said the kingdom 
of heaven is "like a little leaven which a woman 
hid in three measures of meal, till the whole became 
leavened." 

After the ascension of our Lord, his inspired 
apostles pursued the same judicious method. They 
sometimes represent the Christian's conflict in this 
life as a race. "In a race all run. Let us run 
with patience the race set before us." Sometimes 
they call it a warfare: "The weapons of our warfare 
are not carnal." In our text, the apostle uses the 
language of a sailor: "This hope we have as an 
anchor of the soul." 

In explaining this text, we will attend principally 
to the analogy of the subject. Indeed, there is a 
very striking analogy existing between a literal voy- 
age on the high seas, and the more important voyage 
of human life. In the former, we have our storms 
and our calms. Sometimes not a solitary breath of 
air ruffles the smooth expanse — all is lovely and 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 39 

tranquil. At other times the mustering clouds begin 
to gather over our heads, the lightnings flash, the 
thunder rolls, the foaming billows rush, like mount- 
ains, to the skies; and the distressed mariner expects 
every moment to be swallowed up in the deep and 
dark abyss. Just so in human life. Sometimes all 
is placid and calm — not a wave of trouble rolls 
across the peaceful breast, to disturb the even tenor 
of the mind. At other times the dark and scowling- 
clouds of adversity arise — the chilling blasts of pov- 
erty blow — heavy squalls of temptation descend; 
and the poor voyager through life is ready to sit 
down in sorrow, and let the waves of despair over- 
whelm him. But let us trace the voyage through. 

1. When a ship is about to put out to sea, it is 
necessary to have what is called a good "depart- 
ure" — the true bearings, and distance of the cape, 
or headland, which she is about to leave; for, if 
the departure is incorrect, the consequence will be 
that the reckoning will become more and more erro- 
neous every day, and, in the absence of clear weath- 
er, may involve the navigator in a series of difficul- 
ties, from which he may not easily extricate himself. 
So, also, it is necessary that souls, who have to 
prosecute the voyage of human life, should have a 
good departure. By this we mean a liberal and 
pious education. "Train up a child in the way he 
should go, and when he is old he will not depart 
from it." We knew a man who, in his lisping child- 
hood, was guilty of one oath, which was overheard 
by his father, who promptly gave him a severe chas- 



40 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

tisement; and, although he afterward traversed the 
seas for several years, in a ship which the crew 
themselves familiarly called a floating hell, and al- 
though he fell into many wicked practices, yet he 
was never heard, in all his wanderings, to use pro- 
fane language again. Those who have a religious 
departure, possess a signal advantage over all others 
who are navigating life's dangerous seas. This is 
particularly offered to parents, and guardians, who 
are in charge of young, but deathless spirits. 

2. It is necessary that a ship should be furnished 
with a chart, to direct her in her voyage. By a 
chart, we mean a marine-map, on which all the cur- 
rents, isles, rocks, shoals, and dangers, which are 
connected with the sea about to be navigated, are 
accurately laid down; so that the skillful captain 
can spread it out, and with his scale and dividers 
mark the several courses and distances which he has 
run, so as to have his whole voyage, in miniature, 
before him. And he can see, at one glance, the re- 
lation in which he stands to every object around him. 
The immortal soul must, also, have a chart. The 
necessity of such a chart almost proves its existence. 
We see that all things around us are governed by 
law. The planets, which roll in majestic splendor 
over our heads, although they are continually per- 
forming their annual and diurnal revolutions, are so 
governed by the attractive and repulsive laws of 
heaven, that they can not possibly come in contact 
with each other, or infringe upon the smallest parti- 
cle of matter that is afloat in all the extensive empire 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 41 

of God's dominions. The brute creation is governed 
by the laws of instinct. And be these laws what 
they may, they have come from God. The ox know- 
eth his master, and the ass his owner's crib. The 
faithful dog starts at the first approach of the robber, 
and sounds the alarm in his master's ears. The 
beasts of the field, the fowls of the air, the fishes 
of the sea, are all continually doing their duty, and 
answering the special purposes for which they were 
created. And can we suppose that the Lord would 
thus instruct all the meaner creation, and make man- 
ifest, even to the most loathsome reptile, his duty, 
and at the same time leave man — the noblest work- 
manship of his hand — he who bears the stamp and 
impress of the Deity on his front — who walks with 
countenance erect, and eyes on heaven — 

"He for whose sake all nature stands, 
And stars their courses move" — 

leave him, I say, at the head of the lower creation, 
grasping the reins of universal government in his 
hands, without a compass to direct, or star to guide 
him, through all the dreary paths of human life? 
No; man has a chart — a precious chart; and that 
chart is the Bible. This is a perfect chart. Com- 
mon charts are hardly ever perfect. They are some- 
times drawn wrong; and when drafted right, typo- 
graphical errors occur in the publication. But "the 
law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul." 
This chart is right, and a sure directory, and can be 
implicitly depended on. "The statutes of the Lord 
are right, rejoicing the heart; the testimonies of the 



42 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

Lord are sure, making wise the simple. " Moreover, 
the Christian's chart is a clean and pure chart. It 
often happens that when a literal chart is tolerably 
correct, it is soiled, or chafed, by use, so that it is 
difficult to trace, and portions of it are entirely de- 
faced; but it is not so with the law of God — man's 
best chart. "The commandment of the Lord is 
pure, enlightening; .... the fear of the Lord is 
clean, enduring forever." 0, it is a valuable — a 
sweet chart! "more to be desired than gold; yea, 
than much fine gold; sweeter, also, than honey, or 
the honeycomb." In this glorious chart, all the 
rocks, shoals, quicksands, sins, and propensities, on 
which it is possible for an immortal soul to founder, 
are carefully laid down, so that the wayfaring man, 
though a fool, shall not err therein. 

"Most wondrous book — bright candle of the Lord! 
Chart of eternity! The only chart 
By which the bark of man can navigate 
The sea of life, and gain the port of bliss." 

3. A chart would be of little service on board, 
without a compass. A compass is a circular card, 
on which all the points of the horizon are marked. 
The north point, which is distinguished by a fieur de 
lis, or some other ornament, is fixed in such a rela- 
tion to the magnetic needle, that when the card is 
left to revolve freely, the northern point will be di- 
rected toward the north pole. By the help of this 
compass, the helmsman can steer to any point in the 
horizon; and, although he may steer wildly, or, as 
the sailor would say, yaw miserably, yet he can not 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 43 

do so without being admonished of his error by the 
faithful compass that lies before him. Now, con- 
science is the compass of the soul. As the magnetic 
needle points to the pole, so a well-instructed con- 
science — one that is deeply imbued with divine grace, 
and regulated by the word of God, the lodestone 
of eternal truth — will perpetually point to duty, to 
grace, to glory, and to God; and, although man, in 
the abuse of his moral agency, may steer wide of 
the glory of God, yet he can not do so without be- 
ing reproved and admonished by that sleepless mon- 
itor within; at least, he can not while the light of 
life glows in the binnacle. 

4. The ship must have a rudder. The rudder is 
made of flattened pieces of timber, and is swung to 
the stern in a vertical position, and left to turn freely 
on its irons. When the vessel is forced through the 
water by the wind, a current presses on both sides 
of the rudder, and, by a proper movement of the 
helm, the head of the vessel can be thrown to either 
side, or, indeed, in any direction. This beautifully 
represents the human will. There has been much 
said about natural ability and moral ability; but, 
without controversy, we would simply say, that man 
has a will, or he has not. If he has not, he is a 
mere machine, drifting about on a sea of uncertainty, 
tossed to and fro by every wind of chance, and is 
not an accountable being. But if he has a will, 
then is he answerable to God for all the deeds done 
in the body. Now, as the mariner handles the helm, 
in accordance with the direction of his compass, and 



44 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

keeps his course, so man, by the grace of God, can 
exercise his will according to the movements of a 
conscience divinely illuminated; and so his head is 
kept up for the New Jerusalem, and his wake spar- 
kles with glory. 

5. The ship has her masts, yards, sails, and rig- 
ging. These are like the means of grace — prayer, 
fasting, reading, and meditation. But when the 
vessel is thus equipped — her sails bent, hoisted up, 
and sheeted home, and all her yards trimmed — still 
she does not move; she lies, rolling like a lifeless 
log, on the bosom of the great deep. She is waiting 
for the favorable breezes of heaven. Here, vain is 
the help of man. The fainting crew sigh; and you 
may see them leaning over the bows, superstitiously 
whistling to arouse the slumbering air. Perhaps 
some pious soul is breathing his prayers to a higher 
power. But see, it comes in the far distance, darkly 
dancing on the surface of the great deep. Presently 
it kisses the top-ga'nt-sails — strikes the top-sails — 
swells the courses; every rope-yarn moves; the spars 
creak; the beams and timbers gather life and anima- 
tion; the compass trembles; the tiller quivers; and 
away she goes, with a whistling wind, and a bone 
in her teeth. In like manner, Christians can do 
nothing of themselves; but, by the grace of God 
they can do all things: they can use the means — 
watch and pray — board tacks, and gather aft, trim 
their yards, look aloft, and, glory to God! the heav- 
enly breezes of grace will come — strike their immor- 
tal souls, animate their drowsy powers, and away 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 45 

they will go, heads up, for Mount Zion! And did 
we ever hear of a ship lying on the ocean till it de- 
cayed and dropped to pieces, for want of a wind? 
No, never. It is true that every vessel is not visited 
by favorable breezes at the same time, or in the same 
desrree, or under the same circumstances: but the 
breeze comes, sooner or later; so that all have an 
opportunity, if they will improve it, of getting into 
port. Thus, "the grace of God that bringeth salva- 
tion, hath appeared unto all men." "Yes," say 
some, "common grace." We care not whether you 
call it common, or uncommon; it is the grace that 
hringeth salvation; and that grace is good enough 
for poor sinners. 

6. A ship fitted up as above, can, with the favor- 
ing winds of heaven, do much good. A ship binds 
together the nations of the earth, in a golden chain 
of commerce. She brings to our shores many of 
the comforts and luxuries of life. When multiplied 
into a navy, they bear our republic thunder to the 
ends of the earth, and become a mighty bulwark of 
human freedom. Indeed, we are indebted, under 
God, to the invention of ships, for the very soil on 
which we were born. And can we here forget the 
illustrious Columbus? 

The man, who first, -with enterprising keel, 
Urged hy determined resolution, plowed 
The vast — unmeasured billows of the west? 
Of all the noble souls who ever stemm'd 
The wide, tempestuous ocean, greatest he! 
He bade another, and a better world 
Arise to view. He opened to mankind 
A fair asylum from despotic sway. 



46 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

The recompense he gained, were chains and death; 
But, after death, a never-dying fame. 

It may be said that ships have been perverted to 
foul purposes, such as piracy, and the slave-trade. 
This is true, as exceptions; but what has been more 
successful, instrumentally, in suppressing these evils? 
See that miserable picaroon, that has been running 
down the coast of Africa, and robbing unhappy 
Guinea of her children! She is homeward-bound, 
freighted with human spoil. Hundreds of suffering 
mortals are crowded together in her poisonous hold. 
But the gallant frigate has spied her, and will not 
let her pass. She tacks and beats, and outs with 
her boats and sweeps, till she brings them under the 
sweep of her long-toms. Does she still crowd? 
Does she expect to escape the just judgments of 
almighty God? No, no; the man-of-war takes the 
weather-gauge. Now she lets fly a bow-chaser. 
Now she opens her broadsides. Bear away; bear 
away, boys! Out with your grappling-irons! board 
her! board her! Down with her bloody flag! 

" Wrench from their hands oppression's iron rod, 
And bid the cruel feel the pains they give." 

The captives rejoice. Their chains fall off; and un- 
der the wide-spread wings of Mercy, they are waft- 
ed away to Liberia, or some distant part of God's 
universe, where they once more breathe the uncon- 
taminated air of glorious freedom. As the ship can 
do much good, when properly manned, and favored 
with the winds of heaven, so the Christian, sustained 
by divine influences, may do many good works. 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 47 

God requires it of him. If we are faithful, the Lord 
will say to us in the last day, " Come, ye blessed of 
my Father: I was hungry, and ye gave me meat; 
thirsty, and ye gave me drink; naked, and ye clothed 
me. Enter ye into the joys of your Lord." 

7. A ship at sea can not always have fair weather; 
and it is a common saying among seamen, that the 
devil himself would be a sailor, if he could always 
have fair weather, and could look aloft. Sometimes, 
no small tempest will lay upon us: sun, moon, and 
stars, are not seen for many days. When this is 
the case, and we can no longer get a sight of the 
sun, we have to depend altogether on dead reckoning, 
as it is called — work our way by calculation. Now, 
it is so difficult to make proper allowance for leeway, 
and unknown currents, especially in stormy times, 
that our log-book will soon become very erroneous. 
But the careful captain does not feel easy in this sit- 
uation. Every day, toward noon, he will walk the 
decks with much anxiety, with his quadrant in hand, 
in hopes of catching the sun. Every now and then 
he raises the instrument to his eyes. Presently the 
clouds part; he quickly lifts his quadrant, and takes 
the sun. He now ascertains the true latitude, knows 
where he is, and can discover when and where he 
erred in his calculations, and can correct his log- 
book. Nor do Christians always sail in sunshine. 
Sometimes they are in heaviness, and darkness, 
through manifold temptations. In this situation, 
they make calculations, and feel their way as best 
they may. But the child of God is not satisfied 



48 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

with dead reckoning. A mere "hope so," will not 
do, when eternal life is at stake. He is constantly 
raising the quadrant of prayer, and straining the eye 
of faith. At last, bless Heaven! the clouds break, 
the darkness flies, and the unclouded beams of the 
Sun of righteousness look out, and shine upon the 
soul — the Spirit's seal. He now knows where he is, 
and can look up, and read his title clear to mansions 
in the skies; and can say, " Abba, Father," with an 
unfaltering tongue. He can now see and correct 
some of his errors; and, if there are any which he 
can not straighten, he has an Advocate with the 
Father — Jesus Christ, the righteous, 

8. A ship can not do without an anchor. We 
hardly need state that an anchor is a ponderous iron 
instrument, which is used to hold the vessel to her 
moorings, when she enters a bay, roadstead, or 
river. Now, it is not the minister who is addressing 
you; but the inspired author of our text, who 
declares that hope is the Christian's anchor. Hope, 
when personified, has always been represented as 
leaning on an anchor. This is to show the stability 
and imperishable character of Christian hope. The 
apostle says that this hope, or anchor, enters into 
that within the vail. Now, the question arises, 
What is meant by that within the vail? It means 
that the Christian's anchor enters into that anchor 
which is within the vail. Here are two anchors — 
one expressed, and the other clearly implied. The 
anchor within the vail represents our Lord Jesus 
Christ, considered in his eternal power and Godhead. 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 49 

This is the great sheet-anchor of the universe. He 
upholds and supports all things by the word of his 
power. All things, whether visible or invisible — 
thrones and dominions, principalities and powers — 
are upheld by this anchor within the vail. The 
Christian's hope, the pardoned sinner's best bower, is 
firmly locked in this immovable mooring. We 
might elicit some light on this subject, from customs 
which prevail, even in modern times, in some ports. 
In the river Thames, England, ponderous anchors 
are ranged along the bottom, at proper distances 
from each other. When a ship arrives, as soon as 
the tide slacks, a barge comes along side, which is 
furnished with a windlass, and all necessary pur- 
chase. The bargemen heave up the ring of the 
great anchor, make fast the ship's cable to it, let it 
go, and they heave in the slack on board. They 
then moor the stern in the same way, and bowse all 
taut. As many as five or six vessels are thus 
moored to the same anchors, and made fast to each 
other. On both sides of the channel they are thus 
ranged for two or three miles, all riding at anchors, 
within the port. Beside this, they have docks for 
the better security of the ship. These can be 
entered only at the flood tide, or high water. Ships 
entering with the rising tide, make fast, and wait till 
full flood. Then the gates are opened; the vessels 
are warped in, and made fast to ring-bolts, or 
anchors, imbedded in the solid wharves; and, being 
surrounded by high walls, they are as safe as if 
stored away in a warehouse. The ports in ancient 



50 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

times were often artificial, and had anchors, such as 
they were, to fasten to, within the dock, or pier- 
head. The Christian is here represented as not 
having got into heaven, but as having got so near 
that he resembles the vessel which has arrived near 
the port, but, in consequence of the state of the tide, 
can not get in. She sends out her hawser and 
kedge, and fastens to the anchor within the vail, and 
waits patiently the rising of the tide. 

9. But here our text takes a sudden gybe; and the 
apostle says, " Whither our forerunner has, for us, 
entered, even Jesus." This forerunner, or pilot, 
represents our Savior as the great Mediator between 
God and man. The pilot is a character who, in 
many respects, is entirely distinct from all the crew. 
He belongs not to the ship's company; but generally 
resides in the port to which the vessel is bound. 
When he looks out on the stormy coast, and spies 
an approaching sail making for the harbor, he lays 
aside his long-togs, throws on his tarpaulin -jacket, 
steps into his boat, and fearlessly puts out into the 
gathering storm, boards the vessel, and conducts 
her safely in. So our Savior, the infallible pilot of 
Christians, is not a citizen of this world. If he 
were of this world, the world would love its own; 
but because he was not of this world, therefore the 
world hated him. He is of the kingdom of glory, 
the celestial city to which all saints are bound. He 
was robed with immortality and eternal light before 
the world began. But when he looked down on this 
tempestuous world, and saw, in prospection, millions 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 51 

of immortal souls driving in lawless confusion to 
destruction, and ready to founder in the gulf of 
eternal perdition, his bosom moved with divine com- 
passion. He laid aside his vestments of glory, put 
on, as it were, the jacket and trowsers of humanity, 
the form of a servant, and, under the wide-spread 
sails of mercy, he put out to our relief. Yes, ship- 
mates; he has boarded your trembling barks; 
"Christ in you the hope of glory." He has raised 
your hope, your anchor, to the skies, and firmly 
grounded it in his eternal divinity. And, although 
you are not yet in heaven, you are waiting for a 
favorable swell, when you will enter, shouting, in. 
We now feel our confidence strong, and can say, 
"Let devils rage, and whales spout, and hell roar; 
blessed be God! our anchor is within the vail, firmly 
locked in the eternal anchor of heaven and earth." 
And we are persuaded that neither life, nor death, 
nor principalities, nor powers, nor any other creat- 
ure, shall be able to separate us from the love of 
God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. " But," 
says one, "I would to heaven the tide would rise 
and waft me in; for, while lingering on the shores 
of time, I am afraid of being driven out to sea 
again." You need not fear. The anchor to which 
you are moored is good — Jesus Christ, the true 
God, and eternal life. The cable is, also, good. 
Indeed, the Christian's cable is a most extraordinary 
one. The more we use literal cables, the weaker 
they become. They are subject to decay, liable to 
be chafed, and are at last laid by as not sea- worthy. 



52 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

It is not so with our spiritual cable. It has three 
strands — faith, love, and prayer. These are divine 
and imperishable materials, if we might so speak. 
The more we use this precious cord, the stronger it 
becomes. It is like a timber-hitch — the harder you 
draw, the tighter it jams. You may overhaul it 
closely, strand by strand. What is stronger than 
faith? It is stronger than fleets and armies; for it 
has " subdued kingdoms" No shark of hell can 
rend its sacred texture. It has " stopped the mouths 
of lions." War can not destroy it. It has " escaped 
the edge of the sword" It is water-proof and fire- 
proof. It has " quenched the violence of the fame." 
Sometimes, by constant use, wear and tear, on ship- 
board, we make strong cables weak; but it is differ- 
ent with faith; for " out of weakness it is made 
strong." The more we exercise it, the stronger is 
our hold on heaven. 

But the strand of love. It is a sufficient recom- 
mendation, when it is said, " that it is sweeter than 
life, and stronger than death." Death conquers all 
but love, the bond of perfectness. 

In regard to prayer, every Christian knows that 
it never wears out. The more we pray, the more 
we love to pray. The more we use that gift, the 
brighter it shines. Then, while we keep faith, love, 
and prayer in lively exercise, we can not lose our 
hold; we can not drag. "Well," says one, "what 
do you mean? Will you run us into the harbor of 
unconditional perseverance?" God forbid that we 
should direct you to such dangerous anchorage! 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 53 

Although a ship may be moored too strong for the 
storm to drive her, yet the captain might slip her 
cable. And should he begin to slacken, and pay out, 
and the ship begin to gather stern-way, the cable 
will go faster and faster, till it will fly round like 
lightning, set the windlass on fire, run out to the 
better end, and the vessel may be driven out to sea 
again, wrecked, and lost. It may be said that no 
seaman would do this. We were, however, with a 
captain who did this, in a heavy gale; and it was of 
the mercy of God that he reached his mooring 
again. But, if none were so foolish as to do this, it 
only confirms the declaration of our Lord, who says, 
" The children of this world are wiser in their gen- 
eration than the children of light;" for Christians 
have too often slipped their cables, relaxed their 
faith, grown cold in love, and restrained prayer. 
Then they begin to gather stern- way; backslide 
faster and faster, till they are driven back into the 
world again, and they will have hard work to regain 
their anchorage. St. Paul tells us of two gallant 
men-of-war, Hymeneus and Alexander, who made 
shipwreck of faith and a good conscience. That 
Christians may backslide, is admitted by all; and, 
without disputing whether all may beat back again, 
all will admit that it is wrong to let go our hold in 
the slightest degree. Therefore, let us watch and 
pray, and hold fast our confidence, trusting in the 
Lord. Let us hoist, for our motto, " Don't give up 
the ship," and nothing will be able to harm us while 
we are followers of that which is good. 



54 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

10. Who has this anchor — this Christian hope? 
May the Lord forbid that any of us should be like 
the foolish Dutchman, who was boasting, while at 
sea, that he had a superior anchor and cable; but 
when he was about to be driven on a lee-shore, he 
recollected that he had left them at home! Perhaps 
if we were to ask the most wicked man on earth, if 
he has this hope, he would say, "Yes, I hope to get 
to heaven." And he would wonder at the simplicity 
of the question. But there are many who do not 
understand the import of the word. Hope is made 
up of desire and expectation. Where either desire 
or expectation is wanting, there is no hope. Where 
a man expects a thing to take place, but does not 
desire it, he can not say, consistently, that he hopes 
for it. A person at sea, during the raging of a tem- 
pest, may expect to be lost; but he does not desire it. 
No one then would believe him if he should say, "I 
hope to be cast away." Again: an invalid may 
earnestly desire to be in a warmer climate; but if 
in a vessel bound for Greenland, he can not expect 
to reach such a climate; therefore, he has no hope 
in this matter. But if he desires a warmer country, 
and is sailing for it, at the rate of ten knots an hour, 
then he may hope. 

Now, the sinner says he desires to go to heaven. 
Well, admitting that he does, has he any expectation 
of heaven, living in sin? We know nothing about 
heaven, but what is taught us in the word of God; 
and that word says, that "the wicked shall be turned 
into hell;" that "they shall go away into everlasting 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 55 

punishment." On what, then, can he found an ex- 
pectation? But we deny that the wicked man has 
even a genuine desire. He desires to go to heaven 
when he dies, because he does not wish to go to 
hell — to a place of positive torment. Of two evils, 
he feels disposed to choose the least. He desires to 
live in the full enjoyment of sin in this world, and 
when he can enjoy the world no longer, and must 
die, he is willing to skulk into heaven, that he may 
escape the just punishment of sin. But let him 
have his choice of three things — heaven, hell, earth — 
and he will choose earth. Yes, he would rather 
have this life, with all its ills, if he could only live 
here forever. If he desired heaven, for its own 
sake, on account of its celestial exercises and enjoy- 
ments, he would be for tasting them now — 

"The holy to the holiest leads" — 

he would be for tasting the sweets of redeeming 
grace, and would "break off his sins by righteous- 
ness, and his iniquities by turning to the Lord," 
now. It is certain, then, that the wicked have 
neither an expectation nor desire of heaven; "with- 
out God, and without hope in the world." 0, you, 
who are living without hope, how can you continue 
thus? How can you think of dying without hope? 
How can you continue to defy that God whose un- 
tempered arm could strike you deeper into hell, in 
one moment, than a ship could sink in an age? 
Awake, awake! Strike your rebellious flag, and sin 
against the Lord no more. 

But does the Christian possess this anchor — this 



56 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

hope? Ask him, "Have you a desire to get to 
heaven?" " Yes, blessed be God! if there is one de- 
sire that rises superior to every other, in my soul, it 
is to reach the land of rest, the saint's delight, the 
heaven prepared for all the faithful. I love the as- 
sembly of God's saints here on earth, and the holy 
exercises of his house; but this is nothing to what 
I anticipate, in that happy meeting, when all the 
weather-beaten fleet of God's elect shall come boom- 
ing in from the north, and the south, and the east, 
and the west, and drop anchor in heaven's broad 
bay, to be weighed no more, forever and ever. It 
is for this I sigh, and weep, and pray." "Well, 
but have you an expectation?" "Yes: Jesus says, 
'Where I am, there shall my servants be.' I know 
that I am his servant: I serve him in my closet, and 
in the congregation, in word and in deed. Again: 
he hath sent forth the Spirit of adoption in my heart, 
by which I cry, 'Abba, Father.* Seeing, then, that 
I am his child — and if his child, his heir, an heir of 
God, and joint-heir with Jesus Christ — my expecta- 
tion is strong; yea, even to a full assurance." 

Here, then, we see that an evangelical desire and 
well-grounded and Scriptural expectation, constitute 
the stock and fluke of our anchor. And the Chris- 
tian can say, "This hope I have." 

Happy, happy souls! I love to see you pressing 
on, through life's stormy seas, carrying your sail 
according to the gale. And when, on the swelling 
wave of life's last affliction, you near the sacred 
shore, and it may be necessary to stand on and off, 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 57 

and back and fill, for a season, may the Lord endue 
you with smiling patience, till Christ our adorable 
pilot will come on board! The tide will rise; the 
ministering angels will man the windlass well; and 
here you will go, hand over hand, square after 
square, pawl after pawl, and the redeemed soul will 
enter through the dock -gate into the city, and so be 
forever with the Lord. Then the happy spirit may 
sing, 

"Now safely moored, no storm I fear; 
My God, my Christ, my heaven is here ; 
And all the joys of Paradise, 
In holiness and beauty rise. 
0, then my soul, with folded wing, 
In thrilling notes of joy shall sing, 
Glory to God." 

0, the blissful hope of eternal life! and, connected 
with this, the resurrection of the body, and the glo- 
rious appearing of Jesus Christ! Yes, many of our 
friends are gone; but "they are not dead — blest 
thought! — they are only gone before." True, they 
have retired, as it were, into the "watch below;" but, 
glory to God! the cold and dark night of death will 
soon roll over; and the almighty Captain of our sal- 
vation will give the order to "pipe all hands." And 
O, methinks I hear it, rattling down from heaven, 
scraping over all the nerves and fibers of creation, 
and thundering down to hell, "All hands, ahoy! Do 
you hear the news there? Lash and carry! lash and 
carry! Bundle up! bundle up!" And, now, I see 
the tombstones flying; the graves throw their moldy 
bottoms to the light; old ocean groans through all 



58 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

her deepest caverns, and rolls her millions to the 
shore. Alleluiah! see the sacramental host man the 
rattlings — making for the maintop — climbing the 
ladder that Jacob saw! Yes, flying home, like doves 
to their windows, and leaving a burning world be- 
hind! 0, blessed hope! 

"Fixed on this ground will I remain, 

Though my heart fail, and flesh decay ; 
This anchor shall my soul sustain, 
When earth's foundations melt away." 



The Christian sailor fears no ill, 

Though calms befall, or storms assail ; 

His deathless hope is grounded still 
In Christ — the Anchor in the vail. 

When seas are smooth, and skies serene, 
And prosperous breezes fill his sail, 

He trusts not the deceitful scene ; 
But casts his hope within the vail. 

And when disastrous clouds arise, 
And earthly prospects sink, or fail, 

He plants his treasure in the skies, 
And hugs the Anchor of the vail. 

And when the gulf-stream heaves in view, 
And strikes the guilty sinner pale, 

He boldly shoots the current through, 
To reach his moorings in the vail. 

When nature heaves her final blast, 
The pilgrim's courage will not fail ; 

He'll hold the sov'reign promise fast, 
Of Christ — the Anchor in the vail. 

For well the Christian sailor knows 
That hell can never spring a gale, 

Which could, with his united foes, 
Remove the Anchor of the vail. 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 59 



SERMON III. 
All Hands, Ahoy! 

The 'wicked labor much 
Beneath corruption's weight ; 

Yet still, at every port they touch, 
They swell their guilty freight. 

By winds and waves pursued, 
They groan beneath their woes; 

And yet, in every latitude, 
The crim'nal cargo grows. 

As thus their sins enlarge, 
Conviction swells the load, 

Until tbey gladly would discharge 
Their lading overboard. 

But, though they have the will, 

And labor to be blest, 
They lack the gracious power still 

To grasp the promised rest. 

But Jesus sees their grief, 

And smiles, and bids them come ; 
The Gospel sails to their relief, 

And tows the exiles home. 

He pities their complaints, 
And takes them home to rest ; 

And makes his weather-beaten saints 
With him forever blest. 



" Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will 
give you rest," Matt, xi, 28. 

Although figures are well calculated to illustrate 
the mysterious truths of Christianity, yet there is a 
possibility of the mind being so taken up and 



60 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

absorbed by the figure as to lose the moral, or truth, 
that is represented. 

A minister was once addressing a large congrega- 
tion, in one of the principal towns of Ohio, and was 
representing the case of a sinner who is well-nigh 
gone, by a ship bearing down on a lee-shore, with 
all sails set. Just as he was running her on the 
very point of destruction, a sailor sprung out in the 
aisle, and rushed forward in much confusion; then 
suddenly shrunk back to his seat, apparently much 
abashed. A gentleman, meeting him in the street 
shortly after, inquired into the cause of his excite- 
ment at the late meeting. "Why, sir," said he, 
" the minister had me out to sea again before I knew 
it, and raised a thundering storm. Here she was, all 
ready to strike on the rocks. Every fellow on board 
stood, gazing, with his nippers in his pockets. What 
could I do but rush forward, to let go the fore-sheet? 
But never the fore-sheet could I find; for I was still in 
the meeting-house." This reminded me of the dog 
in the fable, who, in swimming over a clear stream, 
with a bone in his mouth, saw the reflection of it in 
the water, and, making an unfortunate snatch at the 
shadow, lost his dinner. It is generally thought 
that our Savior, in this text, had an eye to a yoke 
of oxen, drawing an extraordinary load. It is 
highly probable that he had. But the figure appears 
to us of an amphibious character, and reminds us of 
the angel, which was seen by John, with one foot on 
the land, and one on the sea. The phrase is as cur- 
rent on the sea as on the land. A ship is said to 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 61 

labor when rolling and pitching in a heavy and tem- 
pestuous sea. Under some circumstances, this is 
dangerous, and always disagreeable, occasioning 
much wear and tear of the sails and rigging. But 
the case is a great deal worse, when, in addition to 
this hard " labor," the ship is "heavy laden." 
This was the case with the vessel in which Paul 
sailed for Rome, and which was finally cast away. 
They were under the necessity of throwing much 
of their cargo overboard. To labor and to be heavy 
laden is indicative of distress; but, 

I. Who are they to whom the text is addressed? 

1. The Jews. Their religion was full of laborious 
and costly rites and ceremonies. When our Lord saw 
some dragging their unwilling victims to the slaugh- 
ter; others bearing heavy piles of fuel to the altar; 
when he looked upon the toiling, groaning, sweating 
multitude, his bosom, doubtless, swelled with com- 
passion, and he exclaimed, in the language of the 
text, " Come unto me, all ye that labor and are 
heavy laden, and I will give you rest." As much 
as though he had said, " Although it has been neces- 
sary, in the Divine wisdom, for you to have observed 
all these ceremonies in time past, yet the true light is 
now about to shine. The eternal Word, the Son of 
God, has come, to introduce a more spiritual dispen- 
sation — a dispensation which will not oblige you to 
travel up to Jerusalem to seek the Lord, but will 
enable you to worship God, in spirit and in truth, 
wherever the footsteps of divine Power are im- 
pressed on the works of creation. 



62 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

2. Although the Jewish religion is not now bind- 
ing on mankind, yet, in consequence of our errone- 
ous views concerning God, ourselves, and things in 
general, we often become heavy laden. 

All men have an abiding thirst for happiness, 
composure of mind, or what our Lord very aptly 
calls "rest;" and the only reason why they do not 
all obtain it is, because they are seeking for it 
through wrong channels, and ways, and means, 
which God has never sanctioned. 

Look at that man who is seeking for happiness in 
riches! He is adding ship to ship, till it becomes a 
matter of little concern to him which way the wind 
blows; for he has vessels sailing to every point in 
the compass. Ask him why he is thus "spreading 
his arms, like seas, to grasp in all the shore." If 
he is honest, he will tell you, that when he acquires 
a certain amount of wealth, he expects to find hap- 
piness — rest of mind. But does the history of man- 
kind afford an instance where one has been made 
happy by the accumulation of property? No. As 
the riches of the rich man increase, the trials and 
vexations of this life multiply; and there have been 
instances of misers perishing on their heaps of 
wealth, and dying with starvation. And while the 
poor-allowanced mariner is looking up, with envy, 
to the merchant in whose employ he sails, if he 
could only see his case as God sees it — if he could 
only roll one tedious night upon his thorny pillow — 
he would hug his moldering biscuit to his bosom, 
bless God for his sweet hammock, "fall in love with 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 63 

poverty, and smile at ruin." He "labors," and is 
"heavy laden." 

3. Next, view the man who is all athirst for honor 
and fame. Ask him whither he is pressing on in 
his ambitious and murderous course. He will say 
that he expects, in some future period, when he 
chall have weathered the fame of every admiral 
who has embellished the pages of naval heroism; 
when he shall be driving his triumphant flag through 
a shattered fleet, or returning home with captured 
squadrons in his wake, amid the shouts and plaudits 
of admiring crowds, he will drink an unmixed cup 
of happiness — he will find rest for his soul. But has 
happiness ever been obtained by the sword? Not 
while the immortal conscience has a nerve that 
almighty Power can touch. He "labors," and is 
"heavy laden." 

4. Again: see the man who is seeking rest in sin- 
ful pleasures, and the indulgence of unholy passions! 
While in port, he spends his time in reveling, in 
drunkenness, in chambering, and wantonness. He 
will say that, when he has indulged himself to a 
certain extent, he will then be happy. But is it so? 
See him at midnight, after his frolic is over, stag- 
gering on board, two sheets in the wind, and the 
third shivering! He is angry with himself and every 
body else. As he tumbles into his berth, what 
means that heavy groan, that wretched sigh? Do 
they not plainly declare that the man "labors," and 
is "heavy laden?" 

5. Those who have never heard the Gospel, and 



64 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

are enslaved to gross idolatry, are heavy laden. 
We do not here intend to inquire into what will be 
their eternal state; but when we look at their bloody 
rites, laborious and obscene ceremonies, we must 
say that, as far as even this life is concerned, they 
are grievously burdened. 

6. And, last of all, when man is laid under divine 
convictions, by the Spirit of God, he is heavy laden. 
"We are born under the intolerable weight of human 
depravity; and, in consequence thereof, are continu- 
ally adding actual sin, personal transgression, 
through all the voyage of life. As the enterprising 
whaler adds to her store of oil and swells her cargo 
in every latitude, so the sinner is continually storing 
away wrath against the day of wrath. When the 
gale of conviction overtakes him, and the storm is 
up, awakened to a sense of his awful situation, he 
begins to feel, most sensibly, the enormous weight 
of unpardoned sin. See him groaning, reeling, 
staggering under a heavy press of sin; swept on 
by the strong current of nature's stream; hell roar- 
ing to leeward; the devil struggling with his guard- 
ian angel for the helm; the law of God to windward, 
bearing down under a heavy cloud of sail, not 
mounted with common metal, but with ten eternal- 
pounders, which belch out, at every flash, "Cursed 
is every one who continueth not in all things written 
in the book of the law to do them!" He labors in 
a sea of sorrow, amid foaming billows of Divine 
wrath. But see! the everlasting Gospel heaves in 
sight; the hawser of salvation is coming; the silver 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 65 

trumpet of the Lord is heard, "Come unto me, all 
ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give 
you rest!" 

II. What is it which so universally disqualifies 
men for the rest which our Savior proffers? It is 
sin, and sin only, that makes men miserable here. 
The all-wise God never intended that men should 
be happy in their sins. All the wisdom in the world 
can not make them so. We might adduce Solomon 
as an example. He was wiser than all men in his 
day. He gave full latitude to his passions, and 
scudded far away from God. He spread all his 
sails, and took a wondrous cruise, and " sounded 
every depth and shoal of sin." But at every sound- 
ing, at every heave of the lead, he cried out, " Van- 
ity of vanities; all is vanity, and vexation of spirit/' ' 
And, after all his traverse-sailing, and boxing of the 
compass, he arrived only at this: "To fear God 
and keep his commandments is the whole duty of 
man." 

Honor can not make us happy. Look at Haman! 
This man arrived at the highest pinnacle of honor 
he could obtain, without dethroning his king; but 
still he was unhappy. And what was the matter? 
He could not have rest, because poor Mordecai sat 
in the king's gate, and would not douse his tar- 
paulin as he passed by. 

Riches can not give us rest. See the rich fool! 

He rolled in pleasure and grandeur; but was still 

uneasy. His mind was tortured in inventing new 

amusements. "What shall I do?" said he; "I will 

5 



66 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

pull down my barns, and build greater, and will say 
to my soul, Eat, drink, and be merry." But just 
as lie began to anticipate some happiness in this way, 
the awful voice of God arrests him, saying, "Thou 
fool! this night shall thy soul be required of thee. 
Then whose shall these things be?" There is no 
rest to the wicked, saith my God. Their minds are 
like the tempest-tossed lake, whose waters cast up 
mire and dirt. 

III. The rest which our Lord proposes, exists, in 
its lowest sense, in justification — the remission, or 
forgiveness of all our past sins. This is a full de- 
liverance from the guilt and condemnation of sin, 
through the blood and merits of our Lord Jesus 
Christ. The sinner has nothing to recommend him 
to God, and nothing to plead but his own destitution 
and helplessness, on one hand, and the all-sufficient 
atonement of Christ, on the other. But while thus 
pleading, in all the agony of faith and prayer, the 
Lord hears in heaven, and answers on earth: and 
peace, love, and joy flow into the troubled soul, 
and give the mourner rest — a rest from all the an- 
guish and labor connected with guilt and condemna- 
tion. The man feels that this is an astonishing boon 
of heaven. His soul within him is like the chariot 
of Aminadab. He feels like taking up the song of 
Israel, "The Lord God has triumphed most glori- 
ously. The horse and his rider are thrown into the 
sea." But occasional uprisings of the carnal mind, 
and the stirrings of remaining roots of bitterness, 
often interrupt "the feast of love and flow of soul," 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 67 

and admonish us that there is still a more excellent 
rest remaining for the children of God, even in this 
life. This is found in the entire sanctification of the 
whole man. The poet calls it 

"The rest where pure enjoyment reigns, 

And God is loved alone ; 
A rest where all our heart's desire 

Is fixed on things above ; 
Where sin, and guilt, and fear expire, 

Cast out by perfect love." 

Full sanctification gives us rest from all the ills 
and troubles of moral pollution, but does not deliver 
us from all the natural evils which sin has introduced 
into the world. Holiness does not rebuke the rao-ings 
of a fever, or mitigate the ravages of a storm. The 
sanctified Christian may have outward afflictions, 
arisino- from the conduct of disobedient children or 
profligate neighbors; but in the midst of outward 
storms, he has sweet peace in his own soul. Perfect 
rest, then, is not a growth of nature's garden; but, 
thank God! there is rest in heaven; and this, too, is 
embraced in the promise of the text, "/ will give 
you rest." Yes, there will be no deceitful world, no 
conflicting flesh, no tempting devil. There the wick- 
ed will cease to trouble. There the weary will be 
at rest. There the pious captain will meet his godly 
crew. No more storms, no more shipwrecks, no 
more pirates! for, glory be to God! the Bible says, 
"There shall be no more sea." 

" There all the ship's company meet, 
Who sailed with the Savior beneath ; 
And, shouting f each other they greet, 
And triumph o'er sin, hell, and death. 



68 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

The voyage of life's at an end, 

The mortal affliction is past : 
The rest that in heaven they spend, 

Forever and ever shall last." 

But it is in the rest of sanctification that Christians 
realize that his yoke is easy and his burden light. 
But it may be asked what makes his yoke easy and 
his burden light? Some, we fear, misunderstand 
this; especially those who contend that the easiness 
of the yoke and the lightness of the burden consist 
in the abrogation of the law. They say, that, as 
Christ has observed the whole law, and made it hon- 
orable, his obedience will be imputed to his people, 
in the great day of the Lord. And if Christ has 
released his people from obligation to the law, is not 
his yoke easy and his burden light? Yes, indeed, 
if this is so, both the yoke and burden are lighter 
than a moon-beam; for, in that case, there is no 
yoke — no burden at all. But it is not a fact, that 
our Lord observed all the moral obligations of men. 
There are several relations, connected with human- 
ity, in which Christ never stood. He never sus- 
tained the relation of a father, a husband, a magis- 
trate; and, consequently, never performed the duties 
of such relations. And many have sinned, in these 
offices, enough to sink their souls to everlasting ruin. 
The garment, then, of our Savior's obedience, is too 
scant for the sinner to wrap himself in. But again: 
the moral law is the judgment of the eternal God, 
concerning right and wrong, as far as man is con- 
cerned; and, as God is immutable — the same to-day, 
yesterday, and forever — it must be his judgment to 



Lorrain's Sea-S»rmons. 69 

all eternity; therefore, it can not be abolished. The 
righteousness of Christ is his death, or atonement; 
and when the penitent and believing sinner presents 
this as his only trust — only plea, the Lord accepts 
his offering, pardons his sins, and regenerates his 
soul. This brings the man into a pleasing conform- 
ity with the law of God. The enmity of the carnal 
mind is thus destroyed. The soul being fully sanc- 
tified and renewed in the image of God, sweetly 
realizes that the service of the Lord is perfect free- 
dom — his yoke is easy and his burden light. 

IV. But how shall the sinner come to Christ? 
We give the old and unchangeable answer: by faith. 
There are many who ridicule the doctrine of salva- 
tion through faith, and say that it is more reasonable 
to preach salvation by works. And yet we are per- 
suaded, that if a minister should preach salvation 
without faith, he would be still more ridiculous. If 
he should tell his hearers, that it is their duty to 
pray to God, the infidel might say, ''But I do not 
believe there is a God." The preacher would have 
to answer, "Never mind that, you must pray to 
him. We do not require you to believe at all." 
But the infidel answers, "There are two things that 
must necessarily precede my prayer. First, I must 
believe that God is; then I must believe that ' he is 
a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.' " This 
would bring us back on the old Bible ground. Who 
does not see that faith is necessarily the spring of 
all action? A common faith is necessary to all effort 
in our temporal and worldly concerns. Why does 



70 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

the merchant lay out his money, and go to so much 
labor and pains to collect his produce, and to freight 
his ship, and send her to distant lands? Would he 
do so, unless he first believed that, by so doing, he 
would realize a handsome profit? The sailor, in his 
employment, is moved by the same impetus. He 
would not ship on board, with the certain prospect 
of enduring much hardship, and running great risk, 
unless he believed that he would be richly paid for 
all his trouble. Take away this confidence, which 
always precedes human acts, and the whole world 
is paralyzed. Then, if a common faith is necessary 
to the performance of all our ordinary duties, why 
should it be thought incredible that an extraordinary 
faith is necessary in order to obtain the extraordina- 
ry blessing of eternal salvation? 

While it is our duty to persuade some to believe, 
it is equally our work to convince other very com- 
placent souls that they do not believe. There are 
some who have been raised under religious influen- 
ces, who fancy that they are true believers in Christ, 
although they are living in the constant commission 
of sin. They repeat over the creed, and say, "We 
believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heav- 
en and earth; and in Jesus Christ, his only-begotten 
Son," etc.; but in their daily walk and conversation 
they deny the Savior. But do you see that ship that 
is lost on the high seas yonder? The captain is 
without a compass, chart, or any instrument of nav- 
igation — he is indisputably lost. A ship heaves in 
sight, and her commander hails him, and warns him 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 71 

of his danger. He tells him he is standing on a 
dangerous reef, and that, if he does not alter his 
course, in two hours more he will be irrecoverably- 
lost. The bewildered captain smiles, and thanks 
him for his information, and says he puts the most 
unbounded faith in his word — "All this I steadfastly 
believe." But how does he act? Does he call all 
hands, and put the ship about? Does he even short- 
en sail, to prolong his time? No; but he crowds 
canvas; outs with his royals, sky-scrapers, moon- 
rakers, star-dashers, and heaven-disturbers; and 
away he goes, with a whistling breeze and a roaring 
wake, and never begins to look serious till the dread- 
ful breakers arrest her in her wild career, and 

"In loose fragments, fling her floating round." 

Now, can we think that this man believed in the 
warning that was given? In like manner, there are 
many souls lost on the sea of human life. The Lord 
passes by, and, through his Holy Spirit, and by his 
word and ministers, he warns them of their danger. 
He thunders in their ears, that there are breakers- 
awful breakers, ahead; that they are running fast on 
the iron-bound coast of damnation. With all the 
earnestness of a crucified Savior, he exhorts them 
to heave in stays, to put about and beat off, and 
save their shattered barks, richly laden with immor* 
tal and deathless spirits. But what is their conduct? 
They look up to heaven, with a provoking smile. 
They say that they believe the Gospel; they believe 
in Christ, in death, hell, and judgment; and yet 
they crowd all sail, and away they drive, as though 



72 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

greedy of eternal ruin, and never begin to look 
serious till the loud breakers of hell and the awful 
surges of damnation awaken them to a sense of 
their eternal loss. 0, ye immortal spirits! whither 
are ye bound? Luff, men, luff! Luff up, and 
weather hell! Your lee-sheets are all on fire! 
Hard-a-lee, there! hard-a-lee! Come about! come 
about! And it may be that, by hard beating, by 
many a long leg and short one, you may, at last, 
escape the wide-spread ruin, and your poor, shat- 
tered barks reach the port above. Do I hear some 
trembling sinner say, " I have not room to wear, 
and I am afraid my wretched soul will miss stays?" 
Then, by the grace of God, club-haul her; for it 
would be better to enter into life without an anchor, 
and without a cable, than for ship and cargo, hull 
and rigging, soul and body, to plunge into a gulf of 
liquid fire, where the wrath of God will thunder 
down in one eternal storm. Yes; make an unpre- 
meditated surrender, an unconditional consecration, 
to God of all that you have and are. 
V. The invitation is to all. 

1. To all, as it respects quantity. "He was a 
propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but 
for the sins of the whole world." "He gave him- 
self a ransom for all, to be testified in due time." 
"The Spirit and the bride say, Come. Let him 
that heareth say, Come. Let him that is athirst 
come; and whosoever will, let him come and partake 
of the water of life freely." 

2. All, as it regards quality. There are none so 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 73 

base, none so vile, but that they may come, in the 
exercise of living faith, to Christ, and live. The 
Lord says, " Come, let ns reason together, and, 
though your sins be as scarlet, I will make them 
white as wool." We often meet with striking in- 
stances of such great salvation. 

Many years since, there was a certain character 
who had, from his boyhood, been associated with 
the Barratarian robbers — a nest of pirates who, at 
that time, infested the mouths of the Mississippi 
river. After the band was dispersed, he opened a 
tippling shop in one of our large southern towns, 
where, in a quarrel with one of his companions, he 
presented a pistol, and blew out his brains. He was 
immediately hurried before a court, was tried, found 
guilty, and condemned to be hanged. Several of 
the religious citizens attended daily at his prison, to 
instruct him, and to pray for him. They found him 
deplorably ignorant in religious matters. He de- 
clared that, in his youth, he had been cut off from 
all advantages; and that, although he had often 
heard the name of Christ mingled with the profanity 
of his shipmates, yet he had never before had any 
correct idea of his character, life, death, or his mis- 
sion in this world. At first he treated the services 
of his religious visitors with contempt. They, how- 
ever, persevered in their attentions, till he began to 
pay some little regard to their admonitions. On the 
morning of the day of execution, they attended the 
prison for the last time. The jailer advised them 
not to see the prisoner again. He said that, on the 



74 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

preceding night, he had broke loose in the most 
horrid blasphemy, shouting and praising God till 
the prisoners in the remotest dungeons were awak- 
ened by his mockery. The friends, however, insisted 
on seeing him. When they opened the door of his 
cell, the prisoner stood before them, bathed in tears, 
and all the meekness of Christianity seemed stamped 
upon his face. He began to tell what great things 
God had done for him. He observed that, after 
they had left him on the preceding evening, all at 
once an awful power of darkness seemed to rest 
upon him. He could find no ease, either while 
sitting or walking. But he continued to run round 
his little dungeon, and tried to pray; but it seemed 
as if the heavens were brass. At last he fell down 
in a corner of his room; his mouth was opened, and 
he mightily called on the Lord to have mercy upon 
him; and "there," said he, "it seemed as if the 
whole world was rolled from my breast, and I was 
filled with great peace and joy, so that I have 
praised God all night, and to-day I feel prepared for 
the last conflict." 

I was once acquainted with a sailor, by the name 
of John. He followed the seas from his childhood, 
and served a long time on board a British man-of- 
war. They had, in that day, no chaplain and no 
Bibles on board; consequently, John was very igno- 
rant and very wicked. He had often been exposed 
to the lash; but, on account of his ability as a sea- 
man, he was promoted to captain of the foretop. 
It was after his conversion that I heard him say, in 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 75 

a love-feast, with tears in his eyes, that, while so 
desperately wicked, the ship in which he was had 
a hot engagement with a French frigate. When 
orders were given for them to board, he was among 
the first who stood on the enemy's deck. One of 
her crew fell on his knees before him, and begged 
him, for Christ's sake, to show him quarters; " but," 
said he, "alas! alas! poor John knew nothing about 
Christ; and while he was in the act of craving my 
mercy, I drove a boarding-pike into his breast." It 
may be asked, "How did such a wicked wretch 
obtain rest?" We answer, by coming to Christ. 
He subsequently deserted his Majesty's service, and 
landed in America. Apprehensive that he would be 
retaken, he made his way to Ohio. There he first 
heard of a camp meeting; and, moved by curiosity, 
he found his way to the ground. After wandering 
around the outposts for some time, viewing things 
which were truly strange to him, his attention was 
drawn by the exercises going on at the altar. He 
drew nigh, and, for some time, leaned against a sap- 
ling, listening to the services; and, while a pious 
girl was pouring out her prayers for the mourners, 
a blast of Divine conviction struck poor John, and, 
before he had time or thought to weather his helm 
and scud, as too many do, he was down on his 
beam ends, crying for mercy. Yes; and he never 
ceased, till the Lord had mercy upon him. Here 
was a poor sinner, who had fought through many a 
battle, who had never shed a tear of penitence or 
sympathy before, made to weep over the sins of his 



76 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

misspent life. "Sometimes, when lashed to the 
grating," said he, " I wept with anger, and because 
I could not be revenged on my cruel officers; but 
never before had I wept over my sins." He is now, 
I trust, a tender-hearted Christian, and will finish 
his course, mourning over his errors past. Let none 
say that the Gospel holds out encouragement for us 
to continue in sin, that grace may abound. For the 
day of eternity only can show how much religious 
peace in this life, and how much glory in the life to 
come, will be lost by delaying the day of our return 
to God. It is one thing to be merely saved, and 
another thing to be saved with God's uttermost sal- 
vation. We should look upon religion, not as some- 
thing that is designed to save us from hell only, but 
as something that will make and keep us indescrib- 
ably happy in this world. In the light of the Scrip- 
tures, we can not believe that those who have dis- 
tinguished themselves by sin, and have become con- 
verted, will have as bright a crown as those who 
have turned to God in early life, and have served 
him through the most of their days; but it is a bound- 
less mercy that they can be saved at all. Their 
souls have escaped, as a bird out of the snare of 
the fowler; the snare is broken, and they have 
escaped. And we rejoice in the glorious truth, that 
our Gospel can save all who come to Christ; and 
that it is the blessed privilege of all the ministers of 
Jesus to exclaim, through the silver trumpet of the 
Gospel, " All hands, ahoy! Do you hear the news 
there? — the glorious news that Jesus Christ came 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 77 

into the world to save sinners — the chief of sinners — 

all sinners?" When we call all hands, at sea, what 

do we mean? Why, we mean all; officers and 

men; the starboard watch and larboard watch; 

cook and cabin-boy; every mother's son, who can 

crack a biscuit; all have to bundle up. And when 

the Lord calls on all men to come, he does not 

mean a part, but he means all — the king as well as 

the beggar. 

" Sent by my Lord, on. you I call; 
The invitation is to all. 
Come, all the world; come, sinner, thou; 
All things in Christ are ready now." 

But, alas! what strange infatuation possesses the 
minds of many! Although the history of the world 
does not furnish a single instance of a man who has 
found rest in the pursuit of riches, honor, or pleas- 
ure, yet thousands are seeking happiness in these 
things, each expecting that he will be the fortunate 
man who shall be more successful than all his pred- 
ecessors, from Adam down. O, cruel delusion of 
the devil! But it may be asked, "Have any found 
rest in Christ?" Yes, blessed be God! they 
have found "the soul's calm sunshine, and the 
heart-felt joy." Hundreds of sanctified Christians 
are living witnesses that they have found rest from 
the guilt, the power, and the dominion of sin; and 
millions of happy souls have already entered into 
that glorious rest which remaineth for the children 
of God. 

"Eternity's vast ocean lies before thee; 
Give the mind sea-room ; keep it wide of earth, 



78 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

That rock of souls immortal. Cut thy cord; 
Weigh anchor ; spread thy sails ; call every wind ; 
Eye the great Pole-Star ; make the land of rest." 

0, come to Christ, and he will give you happi- 
ness, heaven, rest! 



Sometimes, hy tempests driven; 

Sometimes by calms oppressed, 
We groan to reach that haven, 

Where weary pilgrims rest ; 

Where Christ our souls will lighten 
Of all our freight of woe ; 

Where seas will cease to frighten; 
Where storms no more will blow. 

A broad, celestial river 

Our glorious God will be, 
Whose streams will wind forever 

Through blest eternity. 

No gallant ship can hower 

Upon its sacred shores; 
And galleys have no power 

To spread their martial oars. 

The Lord himself would slacken 
Their lanyards at a blast, 

And loosen all their tackling 
About their quaking masts. 

Their courses he would shiver ; 

Their yards and booms would fail ; 
And, on that peaceful river, 

If man-of-war should sail, 

Jehovah, he would rake her 
Of rigging, tack, and sheet ; 

For Zion's mighty Maker 
Defends his royal fleet. 

He is our great Lawgiver, 

Our Captain, Priest, and King; 

To him we will forever 
Eternal praises sing. 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 79 

Our souls he'll fill with laughter ; 

Our hulls he will transform ; 
And we'll shout forever after, 

Ahove the final storm. 



80 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 



SERMON IV. 

A Voyage to Davy Jones's Locker and 

Back. 

Deep in the -watery world, 

A poor imprisoned saint, 
Beneath the earth's foundations hurled, 

Poured out his sad complaint. 

"Thou, Lord, hast cast my soul 

Beneath the briny wave ; 
And all thy heavy billows roll, 

High o'er my living grave. 

Earth's pond'rous pillars spread 

Their flinty bars around ; 
And sea-weeds rumble o'er my head, 

Where plummets never sound. 

Yet, here, 0, Lord! I will 

Beneath the mountains lay, 
And think upon thy temple still, 

And at thy altar pray." 

The Lord puts forth his hand, 

And shakes the foaming main ; 
He drags the monster to the strand, 

And Jonah breathes again. 

Just so did Christ explore 

The secret halls of hell, 
And drafted the tremendous shore 

Of Death's remotest cell. 

He measured every wave; 

He fathomed every part; 
And, rising conqueror o'er the grave, 

He gave his Church the chart. 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 81 

And we are sinking fast, 

Where Jesus snnk before; 
But Gabriel's resurrection blast, 

Will roll us all to shore. 



"So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What mean- 
est thou, O, sleeper? Arise, and call upon thy God, if so be that 
God will think upon us that we perish not," Jonah i, 6. 

The case of Jonah is a very singular one — such 
an event that will never transpire again, while the 
earth bears a plant, or the sea rolls its waves. We 
observe this, because seamen have sometimes, influ- 
enced by a strange superstition, been led to act in a 
manner quite contrary to the general character which 
they bear, in regard to generosity and hospitality. 
Some are unwilling to sail in a vessel which is carry- 
ing a minister of the Gospel, or a missionary of the 
cross. And all the storms and disasters befalling 
them, are often attributed to the circumstance of hav- 
ing such characters on board. The following cir- 
cumstance, recorded in the Life of Dr. Coke, a Meth- 
odist bishop and missionary, will present a sample 
of this superstition: 

"It was during the utmost violence of a tempest, 
while accomplishing the perilous voyage, that Dr. 
Coke and his associates addressed themselves to God, 
in prayer, for the preservation of the ship, and the 
lives of all who were on board. The captain, instead 
of approving their piety, or joining in their devotions, 
became visibly agitated, and betrayed symptoms of 
an approaching storm within. First, he paraded the 
decks, muttering, in a species of audible whisper, 
6 



82 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

'We have a Jonah on board! we have a Jonah on 
board!' It was natural for him to think that a 
Jonah's conduct deserved a Jonah's fate. In this 
condition he continued, till his fears and superstitions 
had roused him up to such a state of frenzy, that 
he entered the Doctor's cabin, and, seizing his books 
and papers, threw them immediately- into the sea. 
He was about to proceed farther; but on seizing the 
Jonah, he satiated his vengeance by shaking him 
several times with angry violence, and by giving 
loose to his passion in expressions of horrible impre- 
cations. He committed no further personal outrage; 
but, on retiring, swore that if ever the Doctor made 
another prayer on board, he was fully resolved to 
throw him into the sea, as he had thrown his papers." 

Mr. Newton, a celebrated English minister, was 
once placed in very dangerous circumstances, on ac- 
count of being suspected of being a Jonah. Indeed, 
many have been barbarously treated, under the same 
accusation; and, we doubt not, others have been 
sacrificed. 

"We think it, then, of some consequence to show 
that a faithful minister of Christ, who, under his 
high commission, goes forth to preach the Gospel to 
the nations, bears no kind of resemblance to the un- 
fortunate Jonah. He was not a faithful, but disobe- 
dient prophet, who had wandered from the path of 
duty, and was not sailing in the service of the Lord. 
He was not bound for the right port. The Lord had 
sent him to foretell the destruction of Nineveh; but 
he arose to flee from the presence of the Lord. We 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 83 

do not suppose that this well-instructed servant of 
God thought that, in the proper sense, he could fly 
from the presence of the Almighty. But Jerusalem 
was the place where the Lord chose to reveal him- 
self in a peculiar manner. There his glory shone 
forth; and he there commissioned his ministers. 
And, perhaps, Jonah supposed that if he would 
leave the sanctuary, and go into a distant land, the 
Lord, being justly offended, would transfer the com- 
mission to some more faithful prophet. Accordingly, 
he went down to Joppa, a seaport town of Palestine, 
and found a ship already to sail to Tarshish, the 
very place which he wished to go to. Now, if the 
Lord had sent him to Tarshish, he might have looked 
on this as a very favorable providence; but, alas! 
God was not now in all his thoughts. He was bent 
on rebellion. He took passage, paid his fare, went 
on board, and tumbled into his berth. Pray, what 
resemblance is there between this character and the 
pious missionary who is going on his Master's busi- 
ness, to preach a crucified Savior to a fallen world? 
I. We will show the end and design of Jonah's 
sufferings. If the Lord had only designed the pun- 
ishment of Jonah, and the conversion of the ship's 
company, the whole affair would appear inexplicable 
to us; seeing that the Lord possesses such a variety 
of means, in the economy of his providence and 
grace, to have effected these purposes without such 
a miraculous exhibition of his power. But when we 
reflect, that by the ordination of God, Jonah was an 
illustrious type of Christ, we at once acknowledge 



84 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

that the event was worthy of all the glorious mira- 
cles connected with it. 

1. Jonah was a type of Christ, in his atonement. 
The prophet did in no sense fly the presence of the 
Lord; for the Lord sent out into the sea a mighty 
tempest, so that the ship was overtaken, and was in 
danger of being cast away. Then the mariners were 
afraid, and began to call upon their gods. It is prob- 
able that the crew was a mixture of men of various 
nations, and they had a variety of idols on board. 
It was also customary, in those days, for every ves- 
sel to be placed under the patronage of some partic- 
ular god, whose image she generally bore as a figure- 
head. Thus we find that St. Paul sailed from Malta 
in the Castor and Pollux, or, as it is expressed, "in 
a ship, whose sign [or figure-head] was the Castor 
and Pollux." An English author says, on this sub- 
ject, "We, who profess to be a Christian people, 
follow the same heathenish custom. We have our 
ships called the Jupiter, the Minerva, the Leda, with 
a multitude of demon gods and goddesses; so that, 
were ancient heathens to visit our navy, they would 
be led to suppose that, after the lapse of two thou- 
sand years, their old religion is unaltered." 

The above observation was made in regard to the 
British navy. We are gratified, in looking over the 
list of our national vessels, to find that this example 
has not been followed in a single instance by our 
government. But we can not say the same as it 
respects our merchantmen. The heathen mariners, 
however, depended principally on their private idols, 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 85 

which they always carried with them on their voy- 
ages. And may not their zeal in this matter rise up 
in judgment with some of our officers and sailors, 
who can go to sea without a Bible in their chests, or 
the wholesome fear of God in their hearts? We 
find the crew, in the extreme anguish of their souls, 
calling on their idols, while Jonah, who was the sole 
cause of the tempest, was lying down in his berth, 
fast asleep. 

The captain, having occasion to pass through the 
cabin, or steerage, discovers him, and addresses him 
in the language of the text: "What meanest thou, 
O, sleeper? Arise, and call upon thy God!" It 
was not unusual for ancient Pagans to admit that 
sometimes their own gods might fail, while help 
might be obtained from strange deities. And the 
captain, doubtless, felt that they needed the help of 
all the gods in the universe. It was at last deter- 
mined to cast lots, to ascertain who was the cause 
of this disaster. "And the lot fell upon Jonah." 
Then the sailors inquired of him who he was, and 
what he was — what was his calling, his coun- 
try, his religion, etc. And when he told them that 
he was a Hebrew, and a prophet of the true God, 
who made the heavens, and the earth, and the seas, 
and the fountains of water; and, particularly, when 
he informed them of his rebellious conduct, they 
were exceedingly alarmed, and said, "Why hast 
thou done this?" As much as if they had said, 
"You are acquainted with the true and living God, 
who has originated all things, and he has conde- 



86 The Square-Kigged Cruiser; or, 

scended to send you on a high mission. 0, how 
could you do this wicked thing, and profanely rebel 
against him?" What a cutting reproof was this, 
coming from such' a source! They naturally sup- 
posed that, as he was so well acquainted with the 
cause of the tempest, he would be able, also, to 
point them to a remedy. "And they said unto 
him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may 
be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tem- 
pestuous/' 

Whatever had induced the prophet, in the first 
instance, to disobey God, or however far he had 
wandered from the path of duty, we find him at last 
returning to a sense of ministerial feeling. When 
he looked around on the distressed crew, and saw 
inevitable destruction gathering around; when he saw 
that he was about to drag them, in all their idolatry 
and unpardoned sins, down to irrecoverable ruin, 
his bosom once more glowed with the compassionate 
flame of pastoral care, and "he said, Take me up 
and cast me into the sea; so shall it be calm unto 
you." In thus benevolently offering up himself for 
the temporal salvation of the crew, he presented to 
the world a lucid shadow of the voluntary sacrifice 
of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The world, 
spiritually considered, was in a worse situation than 
this heathen ship. The dark clouds of Divine ven- 
geance were hovering over this guilty earth, ready 
to disgorge their magazines of wrath upon our sin- 
ful race, no eye to pity, no arm to save, when a 
voice of sovereign mercy thrilled through the por- 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 87 

tentous gloom: "Sacrifices and burnt-offerings thou 
wouldst not; but a body thou hast prepared for me. 
Then said I, Lo, I come, in the volume of the book 
it is written of me, to do thy will, 0, God!" Al- 
though our Savior was not the cause of our calami- 
ty 

ties, as Jonah was the cause of the tempest, yet he 
offers to bear the blame and suffer in the room and 
stead of guilty sinners. He was made sin for us, 
who knew no sin, that we might be made the right- 
eousness of God in him. He was wounded for our 
trangressions; he was bruised for our iniquities; and 
with his stripes we are healed. He has not only 
made a full atonement for sin, but, in so doing, has 
presented to the world the brightest evidence of 
God's love to man. "In this has God commended 
his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sin- 
ners, Christ died for us." The word of God admits 
that human love may constrain a man to die for his 
friend. There have been a few instances of such 
strong affection, one of which we will present on 
this occasion. 

A Portuguese expedition, which had been fitted 
out for the East Indies, had doubled the cape, when 
a ship, which had separated from the fleet, unfortu- 
nately struck on a reef of rocks, which had not 
been laid down in any chart. It was a dark night, 
and she had on board more than twelve hundred 
souls. The pinnace was launched immediately, and 
the captain, with nineteen others, jumped in, and, 
with drawn swords, prevented others from following, 
lest they should founder. Cutting loose from the 



88 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

prayers and shrieks of the despairing passengers, 
they put off, with very little bread and water. After 
enduring many afflictions, for several days, the cap- 
tain, who had been long indisposed, died. In order 
to avoid anarchy and confusion, they elected another. 
As soon as he was inducted into office, he proposed 
that, inasmuch as they had but little provision, and 
the boat was very much crowded, and deeply laden, 
they should cast lots, and throw every fourth man 
overboard. This was agreed to — the crew volun- 
tarily excusing the captain, the carpenter, and a 
priest; the captain, for fear of falling into disorder; 
the carpenter, to repair the boat, if necessary; and 
the priest, to administer comfort to the dying; for it 
seems, on this occasion, they did not count him a 
Jonah. This arrangement left sixteen in number, 
which required the sacrifice of four persons. The 
first three victims sunk into the deep like lead, and 
quietly submitted to their doom. When they were 
about to lay hold on the fourth, who was a Portu- 
guese merchant of some note, a younger brother 
rushed forward and clasped him in his arms, and 
insisted on dying in his stead. The elder brother, 
on his part, obstinately refused, and, in a very 
tender and affectionate manner, reminded the youth 
that the finger of Heaven had pointed him out as 
the proper victim; and that, as it regarded himself, 
he was getting old, and, even if he should survive 
this calamity, he had not many days to enjoy in 
this world. "But you," said he, addressing the 
weeping youth, "are in the morning of life, and, if 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 89 

you should reach the land, may yet see many happy 
days in this world." The young man argued that 
he stood entirely unconnected in life, while his 
brother had a loving wife and tender children, who 
would be looking out for his return. The fraternal 
struggle became more and more afflicting to the 
crew, till, in order to relieve them from their painful 
position, the elder brother yielded the point. The 
young man was thrown into the sea. 

It is said, " Scarcely for a righteous man will one 
die." This implies that such cases are scarce — few 
and far between. And, even when they occur, there 
is a mighty struggle between friendship and self- 
interest; and so it was in this case. The youth was 
a very expert and practiced swimmer, and an in- 
stinctive love of life led him to follow the boat for 
some distance; and when he felt his vital energy 
giving way, he made a desperate rush, and grasped 
the gunwale of the boat with his hand. A sailor 
immediately severed it with a cutlass. The strug- 
gling victim made a desperate grasp with his other 
hand, which was severed in like manner. He then 
continued to tread the water, holding up his bleed- 
ing stumps before the crew, with silent but express- 
ive eloquence in his eyes, till the whole company 
was so wrought upon that they all cried out, "He is 
but one man; let us save him!" What is more af- 
fecting than to see a man laying down his life for his 
friend! Surely it is a sight which heaven itself with 
pleasure surveys; for it is said in the Scriptures, that 
"we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." 



90 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

But 0, look to Calvary! See the suffering Savior, 
bearing his cross to the crowded hill! Is he about 
to die for a special friend? a brother? his disciples? 
or is he going to suffer to save the steel from sinking 
into the heart of his spotless mother? Hear it, 0, 
ye heavens! Be astonished, 0, earth! He dies for 
his enemies! 0, here is love unparalleled, without 
a bottom, or a shore! And what greater testimony 
can God give, to our sinking world, of his willing- 
ness to save? If he has given up his Son, the glory 
and admiration of all heaven, for us, even while we 
were enemies, will he not, with him, also freely give 
us all things? 

2. Jonah was a type of Christ, in his resurrection. 
Well may an apostle ask, "Why should it be thought 
a thing incredible that God should raise the dead?" 
The resuscitating power of God is illustrated in 
many of the grand and glorious operations of nature. 
It is seen in the diurnal revolution of the earth. 
We may suppose ourselves now surrounded by all 
the brilliancy and gayety of noonday. The sun is 
rolling over our heads in all his meridian splendor, 
and we hear, on every hand, the busy hum of popu- 
lation. But presently the scene is gradually changed. 
The sun begins to decline, and he sinks lower and 
lower, till at last his beamy head drops beneath the 
western horizon. Now, if we had never experi- 
enced the revolution of a day before, what would 
be our most reasonable conclusions? Would we not 
suppose that his rapid, downward flight would con- 
tinue till his glittering fires would be quenched in 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 91 

the vortex of eternal chaos? But, after a few hours 
of extreme anxiety, light would again appear. The 
golden streaks of the morning would illume the 
east, and 

"Lo! he comes, the powerful king of day, 
Rejoicing in the east! The lessening clouds, 
The trembling azure, and the mountain's brow, 
Betoken gladness, while aloft he mounts, 

. And looks in boundless majesty abroad." 

What a beautiful representation of the glorious 
morning of the resurrection! — when the gloomy 
night of the grave shall have rolled over, and the 
archangel's trumpet shall split the bars and ever- 
lasting mountains of earth asunder, and the rising 
martyrs and saints shall behold the Sun of right- 
eousness coming in the clouds of heaven, in power, 
and in great glory! 

The same Divine power is disclosed in the annual 
revolution of the earth. It is now midsummer. 
The trees of the forest are clothed in their deepest 
green. The flowers of the garden spread their 
opening bosoms to the rays of the cheering sun, 
and all is life and loveliness. But presently the 
scene shifts. The bleak north-wester begins to 
whistle over the blasted heath. The trees scatter 
their ten thousand glories to the merciless winds. 
The rains descend; the snows drive, till the face of 
universal nature is clothed with the snow-white 
mantle of death. What would we think if we had 
never seen or heard of such a change before? 
Would we not conclude that the frost would strike 
deeper and deeper, and spread wider and wider, till 



92 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

gradually-failing life itself would expire? But the 
scene changes again. The southern breezes begin 
to play; the snows melt; the ice dissolves; the trees 
resume their verdure; the flowers feel the resurrec- 
tion shock; and all nature throws her icy fetters off: 
a lovely representation of the spring-time of eternity, 
when the awakened universe shall behold 

"Love, Truth, and Mercy, in triumph descending, 
And nature, all glowiug in Eden's first bloom; 
On the cold cheek of Death smiles and roses are blending, 
And bsauty immortal awakes from the tomb." 

But while the Lord thus manifests his quickening 
power, he has declared in his word that he will raise 
the dead; and he has also afforded, in the divine vol- 
ume, mighty illustrations of his boundless power. 
The case of Jonah is a striking representation of the 
resurrection; indeed, God intended that it should be 
so. Our Savior says, "As Jonah was three days in 
the belly of the whale, so shall the Son of man be 
three days in the heart of the earth." 

When all hope of being saved by ordinary means 
failed, the mariners cast Jonah into the sea. But 
the Lord had prepared a fish to receive him. In the 
New Testament, this fish is called a whale. It is 
generally admitted by the learned that this is not 
correct, if the word whale is to be understood in its 
modern signification. In our context, it is said, a 
great fish. Although the whale is, perhaps, the 
largest fish in the sea, yet it is not so well qualified 
to swallow a person, entire, as some other fish which 
are much inferior in point of bulk. There is a spe- 
cies of shark which have, in more modern times, 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 93 

swallowed human bodies. Bodies whole, and un- 
broken, have been found within them. And the 
Mediterranean abounds with this kind of shark. 
But while we have no difficulty in finding fish suffi- 
cient to do this thing, we feel constrained to give it 
as our opinion, that the fish that swallowed Jonah 
was of the immediate creation of God. It was 
doubtless made to meet this emergency; was the 
only one of the kind, and, in its very organization, 
was designed to receive the prophet, and to supply 
him with air necessary to sustain life. It is said the 
Lord "prepared" a fish. The same expression is 
used in connection with the gourd and worm. Now, 
the gourd was evidently of God's immediate creation; 
for it sprung up to full maturity in one night. It is 
as easy for the Lord to speak an animal into exist- 
ence, as to create a full-grown plant in one night. 
Indeed, we can not suppose it difficult for him to do 
either, after having created the world and all that is 
in it. What he has done, he can do again, when- 
ever the interests of his kingdom require it. 

But be this as it may, when Jonah was launched 
overboard, he was instantly swallowed by the fish, 
which, doubtless, darted down with lightning speed 
into the bosom of the great deep. How awful, now, 
was the situation of the disobedient prophetl His 
life was still preserved — miraculously preserved; and 
he was sensibly alive to all the horror of his condi- 
tion. Entombed in a living monster, he realized 
that he was sinking down — down, till all the heavy 
billows of the Mediterranean rolled between him 



94 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

and the light of heaven. Sometimes, we may sup- 
pose, he felt the fish was scraping along the bottoms 
of the mountains, the bars, and foundations of the 
earth; sometimes shooting into the silent caverns, or 
rolling on the cracking coral that carpeted the im- 
measurable halls of the great deep, where the mari- 
ner's lead had never sunk. Well might he say, " All 
thy waves and thy billows have gone over me/' And 
now he was brought to his knees. He had not 
prayed in all the raging of the tempest; but now 
Jonah "prayed unto the Lord his God," and said, 
" 0, Lord, I am cast out of thy sight; yet will 1 look 
toward thy temple." The Jews were accustomed, in 
their captivity, or under circumstances in which they 
could not repair to the sanctuary, to look toward it. 
To pray, with their faces directed toward the temple, 
was according to the covenant that the Lord made 
with Solomon at the dedication. But poor Jonah 
could have no correct idea of the bearings of Jeru- 
salem, in his present situation. He was in a bad 
box — no chart — no compass — no light in the binna- 
cle. Daniel had a window that always looked to- 
ward Jerusalem; but Jonah's dead-lights were all 
shipped, and hatches closed. But, blessed be God! 
faith can work in the dark, as well as in the light — 
under the sea, as well as on the sea. So, with an 
eye of faith, in fond remembrance, he looked toward 
the sanctuary of the Most High. Yea, when his soul 
fainted within him, he remembered the Lord. He 
was brought to a humble confession: " They that ob- 
serve lying vanities, forsake their own m,ercies." He 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 95 

makes a solemn promise: "I will sacrifice to thee, 
with the voice of thanksgiving. I will pay that which 
I have vowed, [which was nothing less than a life of 
ministerial obedience.] Salvation is of the Lord." 

And "the Lord spake unto the fish.'" By some 
violent shock of nature, or some special operation of 
Providence, the monster was filled with such disa- 
greeable sensations, that he instinctively rushed to 
the strand, and cast Jonah on the shore. The Jews, 
in their computation of time, always counted a part, 
or fraction of a day as a day. Our Savior lay in 
the tomb a small portion of Friday, the whole of 
Saturday, or the Jewish Sabbath, and a very small 
part of the first day of the week — the Christian 
Sabbath; so that it was, perhaps, a little more than 
thirty hours that he was under the dominion of death. 
This he called three days. The Jews never disputed 
the correctness of it; for it was perfectly in keeping 
with their mode of reckoning. Jonah lay in the 
fish for the same length of time. 

As Jonah descended into the depths of the sea, 

so did our Lord descend into the gloomy regions of 

death. 

"A land of deepest shade, 

Unpierced by human thought — 
The dreary regions of the dead, 
Where all things are forgot." 

He sounded the tremendous gloom. All the waves 
and billows of death passed over him. But never 
did Death admit before into his dark dominions, a 
guest so illustrious — so ruinous! He fathomed the 
unexplored deep. He drafted the dismal coast. He 



96 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

chained the powers of darkness to his chariot-wheels. 
He drove the affrighted waves asunder. He arose! 
he arose! 0, glorious resurrection! 0, thou mighty- 
ocean! thou hast swallowed thy countless victims. 
Thy untraversed bottom is paved with the bones of 
many a saint of God. On thy deep coral-banks still 
rolls the skeleton of the zealous Coke, restless in 
death as he was active and untiring in life. Yes, a 
West India conference was once taken at a swallow; 
and many a pious sailor rests beneath thy foaming 
billows! But, when God spoke, thou couldst not 
hold a Jonah; and when a greater than Jonah shall 
sound his resurrection blast, thy heavy waves shall 
part; the eye of Jehovah- God shall sweep thy dark 
and sepulchral caverns; and thy deepest cells, like 
Jonah's fish, shall heave their millions to the shore! 
Alleluiah! 0, what a mighty stir in the watch below! 
Awake, and sing, ye illustrious sailors of Jesus 
Christ! for your dew shall be as the dew of herbs, 
and the earth shall cast out her dead! 

Thus, it seems that the sufferings of Jonah were 
typical of the atonement and resurrection of Christ; 
and, as he has been crucified for our sins, and has 
risen again for our justification, there is no necessity 
for a repetition of these events. Therefore, all the 
superstitious notions which seamen have founded on 
the narrative of Jonah, ought to be buried in eternal 
oblivion. 

II. While we represent the prophet as a type of 
Christ, we might add that his obstinate disobedience 
aptly resembles the conduct of the impenitent sinner. 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 97 

When the tempest was raging in all its fury, the men 
were despairing, and all was involved in uproar and 
confusion, Jonah, who was the cause of the storm, 
had skulked below, and was fast asleep in his berth: 
none more responsible, and yet none more uncon- 
cerned. While asleep, he was not only unconcerned, 
but even insensible of his real condition. The seas 
were roaring, the sails splitting, the spars cracking, 
the lightnings flashing, the thunders bursting, and 
the vessel reeling and pitching, as in the last throes 
of a hopeless shipwreck; yet he slept on, nor heeded 
the wild uproar of warring elements. 

So the impenitent sinner slumbers on the verge of 
ruin. God is frowning, hell is roaring, the muster- 
ing clouds of Divine justice are ready to break upon 
his guilty head. Yet he sleeps on, unconscious of 
his danger, and ignorant of his true situation. He 
is blind. He is dead — dead in trespasses and in 
sins. He sees not the holiness of God, the purity 
of his law, the beauty of virtue, and the deformity 
of sin. He has no proper sense of the glory of 
heaven, the horrors of hell, or the imminent danger 
to which he is exposed. Again: Jonah was not only 
ignorant of his true state, but, while asleep, he was 
liable to indulge in unreal joys, and to imagine his 
situation to be widely different from what it was. 
How often does the sailor, while rocked in his ham- 
mock, or berth, dream of home! In a moment he is 
sitting by his own cheerful fireside, surrounded by 
his wife and children, and telling his voyage and 
his sufferings over; but all at once the pleasing 
7 



98 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

delusion is broke by the hoarse and terrific cry of "All 
hands, ahoy! Tumble up! tumble up!" He awakes 
amid flashing lightning and rattling peals of thunder; 
and it is a mercy of God if he does not awake many 
a fathom below the stormy surface, with his death- 
warrant rattling in his throat. So Jonah, in the 
dreams and visions of the night, might have imag- 
ined himself at home, roving over the flowery plains 
of Judea, or, in flowing robes, addressing large and 
enraptured congregations. 

The sinner is not only ignorant of his true relation, 
but, alas! he too dreams. He dreams of joys and 
comforts as bottomless as the midway ocean. He 
dreams of peace, when there is no peace. He imag- 
ines that he is doing God service, when, like Saul 
of Tarsus, he is flying right in the face of his will. 
Sometimes he thinks he is on his way to heaven. 
Then, again, he dreams that there is no heaven, no 
God, no immortality, and no accountability. Again: 
in his slumber, the spirit of Universalism, like the 
Queen of the Fairies, drives athwart his cranium, 
and tickles his fancy; and then it is all heaven, all 
mercy, all glory, and no judgment, no hell, no devil; 
and he is filled with the most exhilarating fantasies. 
But, as Jonah was aroused to realize his situation, 
and all the horrors of the fearful tempest, so is the 
sinner awakened by the Spirit of God from his aw- 
ful delusion. 

While Jonah was asleep, he was of no use to the 
ship. In such a storm, the help of all on board was 
necessary. While the sinner is asleep in his sins, he 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 99 

is of no use to the world, to the Church, or to him- 
self. Alas, how many have been furnished by their 
Maker with the brightest gifts and best natural tal- 
ents! but they are asleep, and slumbering away their 
time in the sides of the ship. 

And this is their condemnation, not that they are 
born into the world asleep — dead in trespasses and 
sins, but that, when light shines into their souls, and 
the great Shipmaster awakens them, they will not 
"call upon the Lord, that they perish not'* 

The Spirit of God touches the ear of the deaf, 
and says, "Be opened!" He speaks to the slumber- 
ing soul: "Awake, thou that steepest!" He says to 
the blind, " Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" — the 
"fountain open for sin and uncleanness." He thun- 
ders over the dead, " Come forth!" None can be 
so deaf, so blind, so asleep, so dead, that the quick- 
ening voice of Jehovah can not reach them. Then, 
let them arise and call upon God, in mighty, fervent, 
and ceaseless prayer, and they shall not perish, but 
have everlasting life. 

So were Jonah's shipmates saved from immediate 
shipwreck; and some of them, we hope, were saved 
from eternal ruin. Although the Lord might not 
have wrought such a mighty miracle, simply to con- 
vert the ship's company — because this he could have 
done, in the ordinary course of his providence and 
grace — yet, while working with reference to other 
high and important objects, he did convert the whole 
crew from their idolatry. " Then the men feared the 
Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the Lord, 



100 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

and made vows." Their conduct, indeed, was worthy 
of imitation. 

1. Finding that there was a prophet of the true 
God on board, they inquired of him the cause of this 
mighty tempest, and in what way they could obtain 
relief. 

2. When he told them that he was the cause of 
their afflictions, and that nothing but the sacrifice of 
himself could stay the hand of God, and bring relief 
to them, still they were unwilling to sacrifice their 
passenger, and toiled hard to bring the ship to land. 
But when all human efforts failed, and while the 
storm was raging almost to a perfect hurricane, they 
called a general prayer meeting; and, before God, 
they deplored the necessity they were under, and 
besought the Lord to clear them of all blood-guilti- 
ness. And 

3. They solemnly launched the prophet into the 
deep. 

Now, we are persuaded, if all these things are 
duly observed before another man is thrown over- 
board, there will never be another Jonah sacrificed. 

Jonah, also, was saved by "calling upon God" 
His stubborn soul would not bow above board; but 
the Lord brought him to pray in the fish's belly. 
And all who hope for eternal salvation, must "call 
upon God." 

The shipmaster was truly surprised at the indiffer- 
ence of Jonah, when he exclaimed, " What meanest 
thou, 0, sleeper?" And well may we ask the guilty 
sinner, What meanest thou? 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 101 

It is a matter of sorrow, that many who are awak- 
ened by God, and who see their deplorable state, 
still choose death, in the error of their way. Still, 
they cry out, "A little more sleep — a little more 
slumber." What meanest thou, 0, sleeper? Dost 
thou mean that if thou disregardest the calls of God, 
and goest fast asleep again, that thou wilt be secure, 
because insensible of thy condition? No, sinner; 
thou mayest slumber on; and though thou canst not 
see, canst not hear, canst not feel, yet the storm is 
up, the seas are roaring, the sails flying, the masts 
going by the board, and the ship is sinking down — 
down — down; and the fiery surges of an endless 
hell will soon awaken thee to a painful sense of ev- 
erlasting ruin. Awake! awake! What meanest 
thou? Canst thou go into everlasting burnings? 
Canst thou dwell in devouring flames? Awake, 
then, and call upon God, that he may have mercy 
upon you, and save you from eternal woe. 



When storms arise, and waves beat nigh, 

To God's beclouded throne, 
The staggering sailor's fervent prayer 

Above the gale is borne. 

The agile vessel scales the surge ; 

To heaven she wings ber -way; 
Till, reeling on the foaming verge, 

She sinks amid the spray. 

Down in the trough her scuppers lave ; 

Again she strives to rise, 
And, mounted on a loftier wave, 

She dances to the skies. 



102 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

Her tattered sails, by whirling blasts, 

Are scattered all abroad ; 
At last, her taunt and heavy masts, 

Come thundering by the board. 

And, now, bereft of all her spars, 

Of rudder, sail, and rope, 
The Lord accepts the feeble prayers 

Of mortals, lost to hope. 

So when conviction's stripping gales 

Deprive our souls of ease, 
And adverse tempests rend our sails, 

On life's disastrous seas, 

Our Savior walks upon the deep, 

To sinners so distrest; 
He soothes the howling winds to sleep, 

And makes the billows rest. 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 103 



SERMON V. 
The Levanter. 

Gbeat God, with wonder we survey 

Thy works on every hand ; 
They loom majestic on the sea, 

And glorious on the land. 

When, in the black, terrific gust, 

Thine anger is unfurled, 
And storms on storms, redoubled, burst, 

And shake our guilty world — 

When, from the dark, electric cloud, 
The ragged lightnings flash, 

While deaf ning peals of thunder, loud, 
O'er trembling sailors crash — 

How awful do thy frowns appear ! 

Thy ways mysterious seem; 
They turn the contrite pale with fear, 

And make the guilty scream ! 

But, as the Christian sounds thy word, 

His tremors disappear; 
For there a milder voice is heard, 

Which checks his useless fear. 

And lo ! the mercy of our God, 

In answer to his prayers, 
Lays by the sin-avenging rod, 

And guilty rebels spares. 



"Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar; 
and lo ! God hath given thee all them that sail with thee," Acts 
xxvn, 24. 

Such is the inherent majesty of virtue, that its 
enemies have never openly professed to persecute 



104 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

good men because they were good. When the Jews 
went about to stone our Savior, he asked, "For 
which of my good works are you going to kill me?" 
As much as if he had said, "Is it because I restored 
that poor, blind man to sight? Is it because I raised 
that distressed widow's only son?" They, doubtless, 
blushed very deeply when they answered, "For a 

good work we stone thee not; but because " 

Yes; because. They must first darken his character, 
by slander, before they can persecute; and it took a 
very black patch to do this — even "blasphemy." 
They were very good men in their own conceit, and 
the divinely-instituted guardians of the character of 
God, as most persecutors are. So, also, when they 
wished to destroy Paul, it was not because of his 
piety — because he had brought contributions to the 
poor of Jerusalem — it was not because he was wor- 
shiping according to the law of his fathers; but it 
was, as they had it, for polluting the temple. Still 
on the side of the Church! They first gave him a 
bad name, and then stirred up the multitude. The 
apostle, knowing that there was no mercy to be 
expected from the furious bigotry of his country- 
men, very wisely appealed to Caesar. He chose 
rather to throw himself into the hands of the uncir- 
cumcised, than to breast the malice of a hypocritical 
priesthood. 

When it was determined that Paul should go to 
Rome, he was delivered into the hands of Julius, a 
centurion of Augustus's band. Embarking on board 
a ship of Adramyttium, they intended to sail by the 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 105 

coasts of Asia. The winds, however, were unfavor- 
able, and nothing remarkable happened till they 
arrived at Myra. Here the centurion found a ship 
of Alexandria, which was bound directly for Italy. 
He transferred his soldiers and prisoners to this ship, 
and again put out to sea. In consequence of light 
and contrary winds, they made but little headway 
for several days; and, being unable to make a port 
to windward, they made for the island of Crete, and 
came to in the "Fair Havens." This was probably 
called the Fair Havens because it was easy of access 
from several points, and because it was commodious 
and particularly convenient in fair weather, or during 
the summer months. However, it was both incon- 
venient and unsafe in boisterous seasons. As the 
voyage had been considerably prolonged by calms 
and head-winds, Paul admonished them to lay 
up for the winter in their present harbor, espe- 
cially as the fast was already passed. He had no 
superstitious fears in regard to the fast. This was 
an annual fast, which took place about the time of 
the autumnal equinox. Hence, it had become pro- 
verbial that it was dangerous to sail after the fast; 
and it was customary for those who were then at sea 
to scud for the nearest port. " Paul admonished 
them," not as a sailor, but as a prophet. The sail- 
ing-master and pilot insisted that their present situ- 
ation was not convenient to winter in. The haven 
they wished to reach was not far distant, being a 
harbor of the same island. There were no particular 
symptoms of bad weather — the south wind blowing 



106 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

softly. The centurion, who was commander-in- 
chief, unfortunately preferred the opinion of the 
captain to the prophetic admonition of Paul; so 
they weighed anchor, and put out. We see this 
vessel leaving Crete forever, without gaining any 
apparent advantage by touching at it. This is the 
largest island in the Mediterranean, situated be- 
tween thirty-five and thirty-six degrees north lati- 
tude, and between twenty-two and twenty-seven de- 
grees east longitude. It was much resorted to by 
all the surrounding nations, and was a place of great 
commercial note. Its population was flush; and it 
presented a beautiful site for a Christian Church. 
Paul saw its advantages at a bird's-eye view, and, 
after his release, established a Church there, over 
which he appointed and ordained the youthful Titus 
as bishop. When the ship had put out, and was 
running down the island, hugging the land pretty 
closely, suddenly there arose a tempestuous wind, 
called euroclydon. In modern language it is called, 
along the coast of Spain, and in the Mediterranean, 
a "levanter" — a fierce and variable gale, which 
sometimes shifts, in a few moments, several points 
of the compass. When the squall first struck them 
they could not keep their luff without capsizing, or 
carrying away their sails or masts. Well does the 
author remember his first introduction to the levanter. 
He was a youth of about sixteen, standing at the 
helm, while the ship was making for Cadiz, which 
was already in sight, when the deceitful blast struck 
the ship. In that moment it snatched our square 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 107 

main-sail out of its bolt-rope, like an old handker- 
chief, and all on board were thrown into con- 
sternation. 

When the storm broke on the ship of Alexandria, 
they clapped their helm aweather, and ran down 
under Clauda, an island to the leeward of Crete. 
There, getting into smoother water, they with much 
difficulty hoisted in their boat. They also struck 
their sails, the vessel being fore and aft rigged. As 
she was old and crazy, they undergirded her, which 
was done by passing a cable several times around 
her hull, and heaving all taut on board, so as to 
brace her beams and timbers, and to prevent her 
springing a leak. Thus having laid her under bare 
poles, and secured every thing as well as they could, 
they lashed her helm, and so let her drive. It was 
impossible, in such a gale, to beat to windward, and 
there was no land to leeward but the coast of Africa, 
which was afar off; so they embraced the opportu- 
nity, which was offered, by the Isle of Clauda knock- 
ing the wind, in a good degree, out of their sails, to 
make all as snug as possible for a scud. The storm 
still increasing, the next day they lightened the 
vessel, by throwing overboard part of the cargo, 
which was near at hand. On the third day the tem- 
pest raged with excessive violence, and they threw 
out the " tackling of the ship." There is some dif- 
ficulty in understanding what is meant by the "tack- 
ling." It is certain that the word is not to be un- 
derstood in its modern sense. We find them in pos- 
session of their standing and running rigging, and 



108 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

their cables and anchors, to the last. We get over 
the difficulty by supposing that she was an Egyp- 
tian man-of-war, and that it was her fighting tack- 
ling that was abandoned. We judge her to have 
been a government vessel, from the number of men 
on board. There were two hundred and seventy- 
six men in the vessel. The centurion could not have 
commanded more than one hundred soldiers. It 
would not have been prudent to have taken charge of 
more than fifty prisoners — the relief-guard amount- 
ing to one soldier for every prisoner. Twelve sail- 
ors were sufficient to work the vessel. That their 
number was small, is evident from the circumstance 
that they formed a conspiracy to put off in the boat. 
This calculation leaves more than a hundred men. 
Who could these be but the marines, or fighting 
men? In those days, large engines were used on 
board, both of an offensive and defensive character. 
Some were designed to throw stones to a considera- 
ble distance, with an effect little inferior to that of a 
cannon-ball. Others were constructed to grapple 
the enemy, and capsize him, when forced to close 
quarters. This warlike furniture was, doubtless, 
very cumbersome in such an unusual storm; and, as 
their dread of the storm rose superior to their fear 
of the enemies, or pirates, that infested the seas, 
they committed all their martial apparatus to the 
deep, as a frigate, in our day, would do with her 
guns, in an extremity. But the storm raged with 
increasing violence, amounting to a perfect hurri- 
cane. It added greatly to their distress, that neither 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 109 

sun, moon, nor stars had been seen for many days. 
Before the invention of the compass, vessels which 
were driven off the coast had to depend, for their 
reckoning, on the sun by day, and the fixed stars by 
night. Being deprived of this help, the vessel was 
in the same situation that one would be in now, out 
at sea, in dark, stormy weather, without a compass. 
In one word, they were lost; "all hope of being- 
saved was taken away." 

"But after long abstinence. " This abstinence was 
not altogether a voluntary one. The people had 
just got through with their fast as the gale came on. 
They were then, for several days, hovering over 
eternity, wrapped in black despair — a state that nat- 
urally suppresses hunger. In addition to this, we 
may well suppose that all but the seamen were des- 
perately seasick. Again: it was impossible for them 
to cook their food. We were once in a large mer- 
chantman, where, by stress of weather, we could not 
kindle a fire in the caboose for several days. Al- 
though the captain was extremely jealous of official 
dignity and cabin rights, yet he brought his crew into 
the cabin, and made them range themselves across 
the floor, with their feet against each other's backs. 
Here they passed around their fat chunks of raw 
pork, and ate independent of all culinary prepara- 
tions. It is reasonable to suppose that Paul and his 
shipmates, under their peculiar circumstances, had 
taken no regular meal for fourteen days. 

"Paul stood up to exhort them." He reminded 
them wherein they had erred, in disregarding his 



110 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

prediction, by leaving Crete. He did not do this by 
way of triumphing in their common distress, but in 
order to give weight to his present exhortation. He 
now encouraged them to eat, and to be of good 
cheer. He declared that an angel of God had 
appeared to him in the night, and had said, "Fear 
not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar; and 
lo! God hath given thee all that sail with thee!" 

We will inquire what kind of fear is forbidden 
Paul, or the children of God. The Lord does not 
command his people to live entirely devoid of fear. 
The text is to be considered in connection with other 
Scriptures, and in harmony with the analogy of 
faith. In some sense, and under some circum- 
stances, we are commanded to fear. It is said, 
"The angel of the Lord encampeth about them that 
fear him." And, "There is no want to them that 
fear the Lord." Again: "The fear of the Lord is 
the beginning of wisdom" Then, let us inquire, 
what kind of fear is forbidden the Christian? 

1. Slavish fear — distressing fear. We do not say 
that this fear is unbecoming the unconverted, the 
unpardoned sinner. Indeed, it is his highest wis- 
dom. We are aware that our depraved hearts revolt 
against this truth. And one might say, "If I never 
get religion till I am moved to it by fear, I will 
never get it at all. No; nothing but the impulse of 
love shall bring me to God." But how can the sinner 
be moved to God by love while the carnal mind is 
enmity to God? Again: what is religion but love? 
" God is love, and he that dwelleth in love, dwelleth 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. Ill 

in God, and God in him." He that loveth is already 
born of God. In the same degree that an immortal 
spirit is possessed of intellect, in the same degree 
must he fear the Lord, while he feels that God is his 
enemy. Hence, the fallen angels, who are greater 
and mightier in power than we are, fear the Lord 
more than it is possible for man to do, because they 
understand better than we do the thunder of his 
power. Brave men are allowed, by the common 
consent of mankind, to fear even a human enemy, 
when he appears under circumstances of over- 
whelming power. During the last war with Eng- 
land, Commodore Decatur, of the frigate President, 
engaged the Endymion. He fought till the scuppers 
were strewed with the dead, and the enemy struck. 
Just then the whole squadron bore down upon him, 
when he surrendered. Yes; he looked, for a mo- 
ment, at the hopeless conflict before him, gave one 
broadside, and struck. Did his countrymen breathe 
one whisper about cowardice? No; they knew he 
was brave. They now saw that he was wise and 
humane, and altogether too noble to sacrifice the 
lives of his men wantonly. But what, let us ask, 
was the force brought against the Commodore in 
comparison with that almighty Power that faces 
every ungodly sinner? The face of the Lord is 
against them that do evil. Some delight to boast 
that they know not fear — that they fear neither God 
nor man! Vain and worthless boast! Fear, like 
other passions, is susceptible of vast expansion, as 
well as dense depression. But there are times and 



112 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

seasons when the resistless force of circumstances 
will slacken its restraints, and call it forth. 

A pious captain was once very much troubled with 
a noisy infidel as a passenger — one who thought he 
was a few ratlins above the superstitious fears of the 
swinish multitude. By and by there came on an 
extraordinary storm, in which even the experienced 
seamen despaired of being saved. The captain, 
having tried to serve God for many years, and to 
live always in reference to death, judgment, and 
eternity, was but little moved. Although he ex- 
pected death, yet his mind was staid on God, in 
peace. Having occasion to step down into the cabin, 
he found his passenger down upon his knees, and 
crying lustily upon the Lord for mercy. The cap- 
tain, with dignified composure, said, "What are 
you praying for, man? What have you to do with 
God?" The infidel answered, "0, captain, my 
principles answered me on shore; but they will not 
do at sea, and in such a storm as this." Yes; and 
many have found that they will not do on land, es- 
pecially in the swellings of Jordan. While it is 
very proper for the wicked to be moved by fear, to 
seek an ark for the saving of their souls, it would be 
highly improper for Christians to indulge in any tor- 
menting fear. Theirs should be a tender, filial fear, 
founded in the love of God. The difference is easily 
comprehended. 

We knew of a most unprincipled sea-captain, 
whose cruelty was such, that he was under the 
necessity of getting others to ship his hands. 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 113 

Frequently, lie did not come on board till the pilot- 
boat came along side to take the pilot off. He had 
been known to sit on the hen-coop, on a certain oc- 
casion, and to amuse himself in firing his pistols at 
the men while they were reefing the topsails in a 
storm. It was reported that he had killed several 
men; and, indeed, he was at last obliged to fly his 
country. This man was feared, and scrupulously 
obeyed. His men feared him; but they hated him. 
Again: we have seen captains who were feared and 
obeyed; and feared, because they were loved. Their 
men had such an attachment to them, that they 
feared to do any thing that might hurt their feelings. 
So the Christian has no distressing fear, but a whole- 
some fear of the Lord, that is highly conducive to 
his enjoyment in the path of duty. Because he 
loves God, he has a lively fear of losing his favor by 
apostasy. This fear an inspired apostle inculcates. 
After portraying the great falling away of the Isra- 
elites in the wilderness, he says to his brethren, "Let 
us also fear, lest a promise being left us of entering 
in, any of us should seem to come short." In his 
Epistle to the Romans, speaking of the same char- 
acters, he says, "Because of unbelief, they were 
broken off, and ye stand by faith. Be not high- 
minded, but fear." We might add, that this whole- 
some fear is, under God, the greatest preventive of 
backsliding. 

2. While the Christian should not have a slavish 
fear of God, neither should he have such fear of his 
judgments, or the instruments of his judgments, 



114 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

such as storms, pestilence, etc.; for to fear the creat- 
ure more than the Creator, is manifestly idolatry. 
We will give an example of Christian duty on this 
head, and pass on. An irreligious lady, who was 
married to a very worthy and pious captain, on a 
certain occasion, accompanied him to sea. In a very 
violent storm the ship was in immediate danger of 
being thrown on a lee-shore. Nothing, under God, 
saved her but a timely and providential shift of wind. 
Every one on board was thrown into the utmost con- 
sternation but the captain. He calmly and indus- 
triously attended to all his duty. And when the 
last lingering hope of escape expired, he patiently 
waited the result. After the danger was passed, 
his wife asked him if they had not been in great 
peril. He answered, that he had never been so near 
shipwreck in his life. " So I thought," said his lady; 
"but how was it that you were so tranquil, and un- 
dismayed, while all was quaking around you?" In- 
stead of giving her a direct answer, he took down a 
cutlass, and flourished it over her head with a well- 
dissembled frown, and said, "Are you not afraid of 
this sword?" She answered, "Not at all." "Why 
are you not afraid of it?" "Because," said she, "it 
is in the hand of my loving husband; and I know 
he would not hurt a hair of my head." "Then," 
said the captain, "you have my answer. The storm 
was in the hands of my glorious and heavenly 
Father. I knew it might change my mode of exist- 
ence; but I knew it could not harm me; for God has 
promised, that all things shall work together for good 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 115 

to them that love the Lord; to them that are the 
called, according to his purpose." 

3. The Christian should not have a tormenting 
fear of death. There is, indeed, an instinctive fear 
of death, that our Creator has implanted in all ani- 
mals. It is, no doubt, designed as a preservative of 
life. If it were totally destroyed, the earth would 
soon be divested of its living inhabitants. The beasts 
of the field, in their frolicsome or angry moods, 
would leap every precipice, or plunge into every 
flood. Heedless man would no longer start from 
the falling tower. Hurricanes might sweep, but the 
jovial sailor would hold on to all his tacks and sheets, 
and go laughing to the bottom. There are those 
who call in question the Christian's faith, because 
he stands from under the falling spar, or takes med- 
icine in his sickness. The Christian may love God, 
love heaven, and long to be in his eternal home, and 
yet may dread the circumstances connected with his 
removal. And often he sings, in the language of 
the poet, 

" The pains, the groans, the dying strife, 
Fright our approaching souls away, 
And -we shrink back again to life, 
Fond of our prison and. our clay." 

The Lord no where requires us to fall in love with 
death. It was a curse in the beginning: it is a curse 
now. But often, in the article of death, when the 
natural love of life is no longer necessary for our 
preservation, the Lord so fills the soul with his heav- 
enly grace, that even the instinctive fear of death is 



116 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

swallowed up. And the idea, that it is the only 
gate to endless life, reconciles us to the stroke. A 
man who has been several years in Europe, on busi- 
ness, and who has his family, friends, and chief in- 
terest in America, may love his friends — his home, 
and long to be there; but if he is under the neces- 
sity of embarking in a crazy vessel, one that is not 
sea- worthy, and that at a very boisterous season of 
the year, he can not avoid having his fears in regard 
to the voyage, and the circumstances which may be 
connected with it. Sometimes Christians are placed 
in circumstances which make life peculiarly desira- 
ble, for the time being. Paul knew, that, as it re- 
garded himself, "to live was Christ, and to die was 
gain." But still, as matters then stood, he might 
have felt peculiar anxiety about living. His charac- 
ter had been grossly slandered at Jerusalem. There 
his sister, and perhaps other relations, lived, who felt 
the stain that was fastened on the family. Indeed, 
it was a charge of no small magnitude, especially in 
a Jewish community — a charge of polluting the 
temple. If proved, it would not only involve him 
in disgrace, but mar his past success, and obstruct 
his future labors. He was confident, if he could 
have a fair hearing before Caesar, his character 
would be purged of every stain. Under these cir- 
cumstances he might have had some fear of being 
cut off, in this unsettled state of his affairs, and 
could not say just then, as he did at a subsequent 
period, "I am now ready to be offered up." Here 
we see the strength of the angel's exhortation, "Fear 



Lorraine Sea-Sermons. 117 

not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar." 
There are Christians now, who, although they are 
not tormented by the fear of death, yet, under pres- 
ent and peculiar circumstances, desire to live longer. 
Some religious parents have greatly desired to live, 
to train up their children, and to see them converted. 
In after life, bending over the altar of prayer, with 
deep concern, they have seen their last child rise, 
disburdened of all his guilt, and filled with joy in 
believing; and they have lifted their streaming eyes 
to heaven, and have said, "Now, Lord, lettest thou 
thy servants depart in peace; for our eyes have seen 
thy salvation !" It is true, that sudden death, in 
the midst of storm, uproar, and confusion, wears an 
aspect peculiarly gloomy; but Christian sailors should 
be both religiously and philosophically fortified. They 
should know that the physical pangs of death have 
been greatly exaggerated, time immemorial. Some 
who have been drowned, and who have afterward 
been resuscitated, have represented that as an easy 
death. We would give the testimony of Dr. Clarke, 
in his own words: "At first, I thought I saw the 
bottom clearly, and then felt neither apprehension 
nor pain; on the contrary, I felt as if I had been in 
the most delightful situation. My mind was tran- 
quil, and uncommonly happy. I felt as if in para- 
dise; and yet I do not recollect that I saw any per- 
son; the impression of happiness seemed not to be 
derived from any thing around me, but from the 
state of my mind; and yet I had a general appre- 
hension of pleasing objects; and I can not recollect 



118 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

that any thing appeared defined, nor did my eye 
take in any object; only I had a general impression 
of green color, such as of fields or gardens. My 
happiness did not arise from these, but appeared to 
consist merely in the tranquil state of my mind. I 
take it for granted, from the circumstances, that 
those who die by drowning, feel no pain, and that 
probably it is the easiest of all deaths." True, 
the stings of a guilty conscience will make any 
death horrible, as far as the mind is concerned; 
but the Christian has the testimony of a good con- 
science. 

We are here reminded of the remarks of a sailor, 
who was questioned by a landsman thus: 

"Where did your father die?" 

" On the sea." 

"And your grandfather?" 

"On the sea." 

"Well, are you not afraid to follow the seas, as 
your business, seeing that it has proved so fatal to 
your ancestors?" 

"Well," said the sailor, "and where did your 
father die?" 

"At home, in his bed." 

"And where did your grandfather die?" 

"In his bed." 

"Astonishing! and are you not afraid to go to 
bed, seeing it has proved so fatal to your forefa- 
thers?" 

Let us, then, consider that the Christian is immor- 
tal till his work is finished; in the mean time, amidst 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 119 

all the disasters and tornadoes of the sea, there are 
ministerino- angels, 

"Perched up aloft, 
To keep watch on the life of poor Jack." 

When our work is finished, we must go, whether 
we are at sea, or on shore; and, through the mercy 
of God, the passage to heaven is as short, and as 
easy, by water, as by land. And, 

"What boots it -where the high reward is given, 
Or whence the soul, triumphant, springs to heaven?" 

A thorough preparation for death, is of infinitely 
more consequence than the manner, or circumstances 
of our exit. 

It is wrong for Christians to indulge in unneces- 
sary fears about the death of others, who have 
seemed to leave the world under cloudy circumstan- 
ces. We should rather resign them into the hands 
of God, who is the righteous Governor of the uni- 
verse, and who will do right. Mr. Benson makes 
some very fine remarks on this subject. After 
speaking of the happy dead, he goes on to observe: 
"And although we, their companions, are left be- 
hind, let us take comfort in considering that it is but 
for a little time. The hour is fast approaching when 
we, too, shall make the land. While the prosperous 
gales of divine grace, arising, swell our sails, and 
waft our vessel along toward the shore, the tide of 
some returning affliction will flow, and convey it into 
the heavenly harbor. Then our friends who have 
gone before, shall rejoice to see us safely arrive, and 
crowd to bid us welcome. And we, I doubt not, 



120 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

shall have the comfort of finding many escaped 
thither, under the direction of their invisible Cap- 
tain and Pilot, concerning whom we had entertained 
fears, lest, during the storm, they had suffered ship- 
wreck, and had been lost amid the raging billows. 
And, 0, what a meeting shall that be! — what mutual 
joys and gratulations, increased and hightened by 
the great and threatening dangers through which 
the parties have passed! Let us comfort our hearts 
with the prospect of it amid the waves of this troub- 
lesome world. Let us entreat our Pilot to stay with 
us, and to take charge of our valuable vessels, richly 
laden with immortal souls, but very liable to be run 
aground upon the sand-banks of this world, the 
rocks of pride, or even to be swallowed up in the 
whirlpools of pleasure. Let us spread the sails of 
our affections, to catch the gales of those heavenly 
influences that arise to waft us to the promised 
land." 

God comforted Paul with the assurance that he 
should not die at that time: "Thou must be brought 
before Ccesar." 

4. Christians should not have distressing fears 
concerning the wicked. They should have that con- 
servative fear that will lead them to put forth every 
necessary effort for their salvation. Having done 
this, we should calmly leave the event to God. 

Paul was, doubtless, much exercised about his 
wicked shipmates. He found himself, by the provi- 
dence of God, placed in the spiritual charge of two 
hundred and seventy-six souls. The most of them 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 121 

were, no doubt, desperately wicked. They were a 
motley mixture of sailors, soldiers, and convicts. 
While the apostle saw this ungodly crew, hair-hung 
and breeze-shaken over the awful gulf of damna- 
tion, in all their blood, and in all their unpardoned 
sins, he must have felt fearful apprehensions con- 
cerning them, and, doubtless, lost no opportunity of 
exhorting, reproving, and entreating them to make 
their peace with God. It is not unreasonable to sup- 
pose he was swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. 
To calm his troubled mind, the angel was directed 
to add, "And lo! God hath given thee all them that 
sail with thee!" Paul was the light of this ship — 
the salt of the crew; and it was a remarkable cir- 
cumstance that, although they were shipwrecked, 
and the vessel went entirely to pieces, yet, out of a 
ship's company of two hundred and seventy-six per- 
sons, not one was lost. But we are not sure that 
God did not promise Paul their souls, as well as 
their lives; for it was their salvation that he was 
most concerned about; and the promise was very 
strong, "Lo! God has given thee all them that sail 
with thee!" Paul preached much to them, and 
under very favorable circumstances, with death, 
judgment, and eternity full in view. The exact ful- 
fillment of his predictions must have convinced them 
of his heavenly mission. The miracles which he 
afterward wrought in the island increased their con- 
fidence. Numbers of them might have embraced 
religion before they parted with the singular pris- 
oner. Others might have procrastinated for a 



122 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

season; but perhaps, at some future period of their ad- 
venturous career, when their ships were making their 
last plunge, they might have thought on Paul, and 
the salvation he had offered them, and, laying hold 
on the hope of the Gospel, might have made their 
earnest and last appeals to almighty God; and, 
although their bodies sunk into the fluid waste, their 
immortal spirits might have arisen above the angry 
surface, with a shout, and winged their mystic flight 
to fairer worlds; and it should not be a matter of 
much surprise, if, in the coming day of the Lord, 
they should all be safely moored, with the apostle, 
hard by the eternal throne. 0, sailors! have you a 
Paul — a true Christian — on board? Bless God, and 
take courage; and let not the Christian sailor be 
swallowed up with overmuch fear, on account of his 
wicked shipmates. Let him pray much, live holy, 
and set a good example, and God may give him all 
that sail with him. 

5. Useless fear. The fears of Paul were all use- 
less, except that tender, filial fear, which is insepa- 
rable from Christian faith. This the event will 
show. On the fourteenth night, while they were 
driven up and down in Adria, the seamen deemed 
they were nearing land. This they judged from 
many signs — the appearance of the water, the pecu- 
liar motion of the vessel, and the disposition of the 
atmosphere; for sailors, after being long at sea, are 
very sensitive of such matters. They sounded, and 
found twenty fathoms. In a little while they heaved 
the lead again, and got fifteen fathoms. This was 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 123 

making the land fast. They became alarmed, and 
dropped four anchors astern. The vessel was, per- 
haps, built like a Dutch galiot, and carried anchors 
both fore and aft; and, as they supposed that they 
had no ground to spare, they dropped their anchors 
astern; and they wished for the day — expressive 
words! Those who have been exposed to the danger 
of shipwreck, through a long and gloomy night, can 
alone realize with what agony men look for the day 
under such circumstances. About this time the 
sailors and their officers formed a conspiracy to seize 
the boat, and make their escape. In order to do 
this, they pretended that it was necessary to carry 
anchors out from the bows. If this had been nec- 
essary, truly they would have needed the boat. But 
it would have been great folly to have moored the 
vessel, head and stern, in such a tumultuous sea, 
and in a gale which was shifting so often and so 
suddenly from point to point. However, they 
thought the soldiers knew no better. It is probable 
that the sailing-master and his officers judged that 
they were blown upon the coast of Africa, and that 
landing would be very difficult, and they concluded 
to lay off and on, in the boat, till daylight, and, if 
they found they could not safely land where they 
were, to run down the coast till they could. Paul, 
however, understood their design, and said to the 
centurion, "Except these remain on board ye can 
not be saved." This shows us the necessity of 
attending to means and observing conditions. Sal- 
vation is conditional; and, even where conditions are 



124 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

not expressed, the very character and economy of 
God imply them. It is true that the Lord had une- 
quivocally promised Paul that none should be lost; 
but the sailors were necessary to work the vessel, 
lash spars, make rafts, loose the rudder-band, and 
reef and hoist the sail. When no immediate danger 
was nigh, Julius believed the captain rather than 
Paul; but, after a more intimate acquaintance, and 
especially when death hove in view, and life was at 
stake, he believed more in the minister of Christ, 
and commanded his soldiers to cut the boat's painter, 
and send her adrift. Paul then exhorted them to 
take some refreshment, to strengthen and prepare 
them for the shock. Having taken his advice, they 
gathered courage, and began to throw their wheat 
overboard, so that they might, if necessary, run the 
ship as high as possible on the beach. This wheat 
was, doubtless, government property. When the 
clay broke, they discovered an island; but knew not 
the land. But they discovered the mouth of a 
creek, into which they determined to drive the vessel. 
The storm had, perhaps, abated a little. Having 
unlashed the rudder and hoisted their mainsail, they 
made for the land. They did not hoist the main- 
sail in the modern, technical sense of the term. 
This would have been both improper and impracti- 
cable. They hoisted the sail which was now their 
main dependence — perhaps their close-reefed fore- 
sail, or their jib. Every heart now beat with anxi- 
ety, and every man braced himself for the shock; 
but, striking on a bank that had been formed by two 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 125 

contrary currents, the vessel struck, and the seas 
broke with great violence over the stern, and she 
began to break in pieces. Those who could, swam 
for their lives. Others, on rafts, or broken pieces 
of timber, made good their escape, and all got safely 
to land. The island on which they were cast is now 
called Malta. They were treated with that extraor- 
dinary hospitality which has ever since distinguished 
the island. They were not called barbarians, in the 
modern sense of the word. They were highly civil- 
ized. The historian calls them barbarians because 
they spoke in a language which was not generally 
understood by the ship's company. What a pity it 
was that the ship fell into a place where two seas 
met! Brother sailor, look out! there is danger in 
thy spiritual voyage! Waters and seas, in the Scrip- 
tures, often represent people — multitudes. There 
are two seas, or two kinds of people, in the world — 
the righteous and the wicked — the Church and the 
world. There are different degrees in grace, and 
different degrees in sin. There is a polar region, 
where these two seas meet — the Church and the 
world; there holiness is wrecked, and faith frozen 
out. Beware of that bank, by keeping in the warm 
latitude of Divine love. In the days of Constantine, 
a gallant ship of Rome, whose faith had been spoken 
of throughout the world, struck on that bank, and 
has been going to pieces ever since. We hope, how- 
ever, that many of her crew, by hard swimming, 
and availing themselves of broken fragments of 
truth, have happily reached the shore. 



126 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

By pursuing the narrative, we find that Paul had 
no need to fear. He finally stood before Caesar, and 
was cleared of all the ungenerous charges that had 
been brought against him. So it is often with us. 
How often do we suffer real distress through fear of 
imaginary ills to come! It is a good saying, that 
"we should not climb a mountain till we come to 
it." In the war of 1812, we were in a company of 
volunteers, who marched from the lower parts of 
Virginia for the north-western army. After a few 
days' march, we came in sight of the Blue Ridge 
Mountains. They seemed to spread up into the 
heavens, like a dark and unbroken wall. There was 
much inquietude in the camp that night, and much 
inquiry how we might scale that stupendous rampart 
next day. But, as we advanced to the foot of the 
mountain, we entered into a road which gradually 
ascended, winding along a dark ravine. Sometimes 
we saw, ahead, inaccessible cliffs, which seemed to 
frown upon us, and to say, "Thus far may you 
come, but no farther." But, as we advanced, the 
road would wind round the difficulty — at one time 
ascending, at another descending — and when we 
thought our troubles were just beginning, it was 
announced that we had made the summit, and had 
nothing to do but to move down into the great 
valley. 

Thus it is that we often trouble ourselves about 
misfortunes that never come; or, if they do come, 
they are so unlike what we foreboded, that we hardly 
recognize them. We might illustrate this by the 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 127 

case of a brother, who resided in the bounds of our 
pastoral charge. He was a plain farmer, and far 
removed from the noise and bustle of the world. 
He was universally esteemed as a man of exemplary 
piety, but remarkably still in his profession. He 
might have enjoyed religion much more, but for his 
gloomy forebodings. He was often heard to say, in 
his class, and elsewhere, that he enjoyed religion 
some, but that often, when he began to feel happy, 
one thought of death would spoil all his enjoyment. 
This did not seem to arise from a consciousness of 
not being accepted; but his mind dwelt so much on 
the circumstances of death — the coffin, the winding- 
sheet, the grave. We attended our regular appoint- 
ment, in his neighborhood, one day. He had been 
employed in some business on his farm, and had 
accidentally fallen on a stake. Being in a perspira- 
tion, he was unconscious of the extent of his injury, 
and left his work, to attend meeting. When the serv- 
ices were ended, he made an attempt to rise, but 
found his whole frame paralyzed. He was taken 
home, and laid on his bed. In a moment his soul 
was filled with unutterable joy, and he shouted the 
praises of God. "0, brethren," said he, "par- 
don my noise. I have always been silent in your 
assemblies; but now it is my time. Others have 
shouted; but I was dumb with silence; but now I 
am drawing home. 0, the music! the celestial 
music! Do you not hear it?" His friends asked 
him, "What music?" He answered, "Such as I 
have never heard before!" and then, as if he was 



128 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

looking beyond the confines of time, lie exclaimed, 
with a heavenly smile, "They come! they come!" 
He was asked, who was coming. He answered, 
"The angels, the angels, to carry me home!" and 
the dying saint fell back upon his pillow, and closed 
his eyes in death. Now, is it not a matter of regret 
that so many Christians live like this man — in con- 
stant dread of what is to come, when, in the end, it 
is manifest that all their fears are useless? 

"Fear not, brethren; joyful stand 
On the borders of our land ; 
Jesus Christ, our Father's son, 
Bids us undismayed go on." 

While o'er the Adriatic main 

The fierce levanter wildly raved, 
And sailors saw their labor vain, 

And lost all hope of being saved — 
While Paul, oppressed with anxious care, 

Bewailed, as lost, the wretched crew, 
And was inclined himself to fear 

The ruthless gale that round him blew — 

A lovely angel came to cheer 

And calm the pilgrim's drooping mind; 
He bade the captive saint not fear; 

For God himself was in the wind. 
"Fear not; the Maker of the seas 

Will bear this wretched crew to land; 
And God unchangeably decrees 

That thou at Caesar's bar must stand." 

And can a feeble prisoner's prayers 

Arrest the angry arm of Heaven, 
And draw salvation from the skies, 

When hope from every breast is riven? 
The crew with wild amazement stared, 

And owned Jehovah's unseen hand ; 
While Paul, in irons, guards his guard, 

And leads his pilot safe to land. 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 129 



SERMON VI. 

Sea-Fight. 

Blest is the man who never faints 

In Virtue's holy cause; 
Strong in the righteousness of saints, 

He keeps his Maker's laws. 

He never tires in doing well, 

He can not cease to love ; 
But restless as the ocean's swell, 

His active virtues move. 

And as the midway waters roll, 
Their waves exceeding clear, 

So does the blood-besprinkled soul 
Before his God appear. 

Salt of the earth, he will retain 
The saving power of grace ; 

And like the vast salubrious main, 
Preserve our tainted race. 

His peace and righteousness abound— 

His river, and his sea- 
Till swallowed in the great profound 

Of blest eternity. 



"0, that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! Then 
had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves 
of the sea," Isaiah xlvhi, 18. 

That the power of volition has been graciously- 
bestowed on our fallen race, is so fully recognized 
by our text, as to preclude all controversy. The 
Lord is represented as mourning over the Israelites, 
for their not doing that which they might have done. 
9 



130 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

And it seems that his foreknowledge did as clearly 
embrace what might have been, as what actually 
was. " 0, that thou hadst hearkened to my com- 
mandments!" This is the language of regret. "Then 
had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness 
as the waves of the sea." This was the comprehen- 
sion of his foreknowledge. 

We might, however, premise that man is under 
obligations to keep the commandments of God. 

1. Because the Lord has created him; for there 
is no truth more self-evident than this, The Lord 
has a right to do what he will with his own; espe- 
cially when we consider that his infinite benevolence 
will prompt him to will only the highest happiness 
of his creatures. 

2. God has a right to command us, in virtue of 
our redemption. We are doubly his: for when we 
had destroyed ourselves, and forfeited all hope of 
mercy and compassion — when we were lying in the 
open field of ruin, weltering in our blood, and wal- 
lowing in our sins, the Lord gave his only-begotten 
Son, that we might not perish, but have everlasting 
life. So we are not our own, but bought with a 
price; even the precious blood of Christ; and we are 
bound to glorify God with our bodies and spirits, 
which are his. 

3. The Israelites were his also by contract, or cov- 
enant; in which it was expressly stipulated that he 
would be their God, and that they would be his 
people. We sometimes see cause to make contracts 
with our fellow-men; when, for some important con- 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 131 

sideration, we cede to them some of our natural 
rights. When a sailor enters on board a man-of- 
war, and signs the articles, he binds himself to obey 
his officers. It is true, he may be commanded by 
young and inexperienced officers — sometimes by 
midshipmen not more than twelve or fifteen years 
of age; and the experienced seaman may be ordered 
to do what he knows is not for the welfare of the 
ship; yet he feels bound to do it. Tell him that it 
is wrong, he will say, " I know it; but Twill obey or- 
ders if I break owners." Now, all who have devoted 
themselves to a life of piety and holiness, have made, 
as Israel did, a covenant with the Lord. And we 
know that our glorious God is too wise to err through 
ignorance — too good to err designedly; therefore, it 
is our highest privilege, as well as our bounden duty, 
to keep his commandments. We have said that the 
commands of men are sometimes unreasonable. The 
laws of God are not, and never have been grievous. 
We know that infidels say, that the very first com- 
mandment supposed to be given by him, was both 
unreasonable and grievous. "Who will believe," 
say they, "that God would condemn our first par- 
ents for merely eating an apple, or some other kind 
of fruit?" But here, let us observe, that the sin of 
man did not consist in merely eating. The Lord, in 
his very organization, intended that he should eat; 
and to meet his wants, all the trees and shrubbery, 
and all the meandering vines, that ran through the 
walks of Paradise, were clustered with the most de- 
licious fruit, and that in the greatest variety. The 



132 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

command was given to him as a test of his love and 
obedience. If man could have set fire to the crea- 
tion, so as to involve the whole universe in a confla- 
gration, and had done so, it would have been rebell- 
ion. The eating of the forbidden fruit was not less 
so. He disobeyed God. 

The circumstance of the law being so simple, 
argues great mercy in the Almighty. It was no 
abstruse, or undefinable mystery — a child might un- 
derstand it. "In the day that thou eatest thereof, 
thou shalt die." It was not grievous to bear. We 
do not understand that there was any peculiar at- 
traction, or magnetism, in the fruit itself. Neither 
are we taught that there was any natural predilec- 
tion in either the soul or body of man, to lure him 
to his fate. If the Lord had given him a command- 
ment which he could not have kept, without doing 
constant violence to his nature, he might have com- 
plained. But with all the bias of his nature heaven- 
ward, he did, either to gratify his curiosity, and to 
see if the consequence would be as divine Wisdom 
had predicted, or to elevate himself to a higher 
nature, as the enemy had foretold, stretch forth his 
hand to the 

"Fruit of that forbidden tree, 
Whose mortal taste brought death into the world, 
And all our woe." 

The next form in which we would view the law 
of God, is the ten commandments given through 
Moses — the moral law. That this is founded in wis- 
dom and righteousness, will appear from the fact, 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 133 

that although the commandments are only ten in 
number, yet, if they were universally observed, even 
in the dead letter, this earth would soon become an 
Eden, and there would be no necessity for any hu- 
man legislation. We have not room to analyze this 
law. It is sufficient to call your attention to a few 
particulars. 

The first law, which requires us to make God the 
supreme object of our devotions, can not be either 
unreasonable or grievous. When we consider that 
it is from him we derive life and all its blessino-s — 

o 

food and raiment, friends and health, and safe abode, 
and every good and perfect gift — should we not give 
him the uppermost seat in our hearts and our affec- 
tions? And under such circumstances, is it not 
gross idolatry to love the creature more than the 
Creator, who is " God over all, and blessed forever?" 
The law of the Sabbath is also highly reasonable, 
and ought to be delightful to every reasonable mind. 
If the Lord had commanded the Sabbath to be ob- 
served, for the purpose of glorifying himself only, 
it ought not to be considered grievous. If a benev- 
olent individual should give a poor man seven hun- 
dred dollars, imposing it on him at the same time, 
to spend one hundred in procuring him a portrait of 
himself, to hang up in his house to remind himself 
and family of their benefactor, and the poor man 
should do so, pray what would he lose? Would he 
not be six hundred dollars richer than he was? Well, 
God has given us our lives — every beating pulse that 
we tell, every breath that we draw; our moments, 



134 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

days, weeks, months, and years; and is it not highly 
reasonable that we should devote one-seventh of all 
to his glory? But our obligation increases, when we 
are told that "the Sabbath ivas made for man." His 
nature, physical, mental, and moral, requires it. It 
promotes his highest interests in time and eternity. 
It was not made for angels or devils, but for man; 
therefore, man should observe it. 

Now, as it regards the rest — "Thou shalt not 
steal, Thou shalt not kill," etc. — these laws are so 
manifestly necessary for the comfort and well-being 
of society, that a humane Atheist can not object to 
them; for our well-being in this life requires their 
observance. 

Let us now look at the commandments of God as 
abridged, or reduced, to their most simple essence: 
"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy 
heart, and thy neighbor as thyself." These comprise 
the whole decalogue — the law and the prophets. 
We ask, Are these grievous? Some will say, "Yes; 
for this plain reason, no one can keep them." If it 
is meant that no one, in the strength of our fallen 
state, can keep them, we object not. But when we 
consider that the Gospel, which requires them, comes 
consigned to the sinner, richly laden with a glorious 
plenitude of divine grace, and says, "Ask, and ye 
shall receive; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it 
shall be opened," we are constrained to say, here, 
also, his law is not grievous. 

It is true, that under these two general heads are 
ranged divers commands, differing as widely as the 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 135 

states and conditions of men. There are commands 
for the vilest of sinners, as, "Let the wicked forsake 
his way: the unrighteous man his thoughts." There 
are invitations to penitents and mourners, as, " Come 
unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and 
I will give you rest." To the righteous, it is said, 
"Let us go on to perfection." There are command- 
ments addressed to parents, to children, to husbands, 
to wives, to magistrates, to people, to masters, to 
servants. But the first commandment given to ev- 
ery sinner, is, "Repent, and believe on the Lord Jesus 
Christ:' 

In discussing our text, we argue, 

I. It is only in obeying the commandments of 
God, that we can be righteous or religious. 

All men, in a state of nature, break the command- 
ments of God. But He who is rich in mercy has 
not abandoned us in our lost estate. He has sacri- 
ficed his Son to save the world. He has made him 
to be a sin-offering for us, who knew no sin, that we 
might be made the righteousness of God in him. To 
this end, the Holy Spirit has come into the world, 
reproving us of sin, of righteousness, and of judg- 
ment. Those who yield to the Divine reproof, be- 
take themselves to the means of grace, and say, 
"Thy face will we seek," soon feel an earnest hun- 
gering and thirsting after righteousness burning 
within them. And Jesus has said, "Blessed are ye 
that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for ye 
shall be filled." These figures are an appropriate 
expression of the intense anxiety and mental anguish 



136 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

of that soul who is earnestly breathing after God. 
All men have experienced, at some time, the uneasy 
yearnings of hunger and thirst, in some degree. But 
to attain to the full strength of the figure, look at 
that unhappy ship's company, who have been com- 
pelled to launch their boats, and desert their sinking 
home. When they first left the wreck, they pulled 
strong and rowed regular. They were full of hope; 
and the thought of home — sweet home — their wives 
and children, rushed on their nerves and called their 
vigor forth. But what has now come over them? 
They seem languid, dispirited, desponding. They 
have long since divided their last moldy biscuit. 
Their last bottle of water is expended, and they are 
on the point of starvation. Presently, they cast 
strange and mysterious looks on each other. Each, 
though drowsy, is afraid to close his eyes, lest he 
should be devoured by his messmates. At last, the 
open proposal is made, that lots be cast, and that 
one die to save the suffering crew; and the poor 
skeleton of a sailor hardly knows whether to put up 
his prayer, that he may be the victim, or that he 
may be spared to satiate his raging hunger and thirst 
with the flesh and blood of his own shipmate. Now, 
in this condition, parents, wives, children, friends, and 
sacred home, are all forgotten. All their thoughts, 
feelings, and words, are swallowed up in the all-ab- 
sorbing question, "Where shall we get something 
to eat — something to drink?" They truly hunger 
and thirst. Or see that crew that has been stranded 
on the coast of a sandy desert. They have wan- 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 137 

dered for many a long and dusty mile, alike destitute 
of food and water. The sun pours with intolerable 
violence on their throbbing temples. They look 
ahead, and fancy they see a little hill-surrounded 
valley. There, they hope, lurks the cooling spring, 
or rippling brook. They put out all their remaining 
strength. Hope adds wings to their feet. But when 
they gain the long-sought spot, it is only a few de- 
ceitful sand-hills, thrown together by the sportive 
whirlwinds of the desert. Now they fall down in 
despair; their tongues cleave to the roof of their 
mouths; and extreme hunger and thirst expel from 
their minds every thought, but how they may quench 
their thirst and allay their hunger. It is thus that 
the penitent soul pants for the water of life — the 
bread of heaven. His intense anxiety for salvation 
crowds every thing else out of his mind. He is 
ready to say, "Why should I labor for the bread 
that perishes, while my soul — my immortal spirit, is 
starving?" He flies to secret places; he falls on his 
bended knees, and he cries, "0, for a precious 
draught from the well of salvation! O, for one 
crumb of the bread of life!" His irreligious friends 
and relations may weep and mourn over his condi- 
tion, and bewail him as deranged and lost; but in 
the mean time, angels are rejoicing, and Jesus says, 
"Blessed are ye that hunger and thirst after right- 
eousness, for ye shall be filled!" Why does our 
Lord pronounce such a man blessed? He does not 
delight in the sorrows of his creatures. He has de- 
clared that he does not willingly afflict the children 



138 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

of men but for their good. He pronounces him 
blessed, because he knows that he is not far from 
the kingdom of righteousness, and peace, and joy. 
He knows that the extremity of his thirst, under the 
blood of sprinkling, will bring him to the fountain — 
his hunger will lead him to the rich storehouse of 
grace. Do you see that boy that is prompt at every 
call? He is first on deck, first in the bunt, first at 
the weather-earing, and has such an amazing con- 
cern to become a perfect seaman that it drives every 
other concern from his mind. "Will he not succeed? 
Well, so it is with the soul that thirsts after God. 
He thirsts on, prays on, reads on, fasts on, and never 
rests till, by faith, he lays hold on the hope of sal- 
vation. The Lord purifies his heart by grace, and 
fills him with righteousness — with pure religion. 

This religion is represented in our text as being 
like the waves of the sea. 

1. As it regards its purity. The waters of the 
midway ocean, or beyond all soundings, are remark- 
able for their transparency. When any bright article 
falls overboard, it may be seen for many a fathom 
beneath the glossy surface of the deep; and there is 
nothing, in a crude state of nature, more pure and 
clear than the waves of the sea. This is a beautiful 
representation of our holy religion. It is not that 
abhorrent mixture of vice and virtue, of sin and ho- 
liness, that some have represented it to be. It is our 
high calling to be cleansed from all unrighteousness. 
"Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see 
God." "Be ye holy, because I, the Lord thy God, 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 139 

am holy." Here it is: If God is holy, his religion 
must be holy; for no pure fountain can send forth 
impure water. Well, if this religion is holy, it must 
require holiness of all its recipients. We must be 
holy, then, because God is holy. 

2. The waves of the sea possess a saline or pre- 
servative quality. If it were not so, the many ani- 
mals which perish in the sea, together with all the 
filth and corruption swept into it by the mouths of a 
thousand rivers, would putrefy, poison the whole 
atmosphere, and spread a universal pestilence 
throughout the earth. Righteousness has, also, a 
preservative power. Christ said to his disciples, 
"Ye are the salt of the earth." It is the Church 
of God, under the blood of atonement, that pre- 
serves our corrupted race. This is no fanciful play 
on figures. It is a doctrine of the Bible. It was 
clearly demonstrated in the destruction of the cities 
of the plain. When the Lord made known his de- 
sign to Abraham, that pious patriarch was deeply 
affected, and he began to expostulate with his Maker 
in mighty prayer. "0, Lord God," said he, "if 
there be fifty righteous persons in the city, wilt thou 
not spare it for the sake of the fifty?" The Lord 
answered that he would. Then Abraham said, 
" Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty; 
wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five?" And 
the Lord said, " If I find there forty and five, I will not 
destroy it." And thus Abraham went on, drawing 
on the infinite benevolence of God, till he got the num- 
ber reduced down to ten. And the Lord said, "I will 



140 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, , 

not destroy it for the ten's sake." When Abraham 
found that there were not ten pious souls in all the 
plain, he considered the case hopeless. There was 
only one righteous family, and the Lord determined 
that they should not perish with the guilty. The 
wife of Lot was, doubtless, a child of God; but she 
was too worldly-minded, and her heart and affec- 
tions were too closely wedded to the plains, and her 
interests there. She cast a lingering look behind, 
and the Lord struck her into a pillar of salt. And 
why a pillar of salt? That all coming ages might see 
that, even in the most unworthy of all Lot's family, 
the city lost a pillar of salt. Ten such pillars would 
have preserved the city till the coming of our Savior. 

When Paul was sailing toward Rome, as a pris- 
oner, and a heavy tempest overtook the ship, he 
prayed for the preservation of the wicked crew, and 
about midnight the angel of the Lord stood before 
him, and said, "Fear not, Paul; thou must stand 
before Caesar; and lo! God hath given thee all them 
that sail with thee!" Was not Paul the salt of that 
ship — the preserver, under God, of all that wicked 
crew? 

3. The waves of the sea are always active — 
always in motion. Even in the calmest times, when 
the surface is as smooth as a mirror, still the long, 
heavy swells are seen. The ship is still in motion, 
and there is often more wear and tear of sails and 
rigging than there is in a steady gale; and the waves of 
the sea have never been perfectly still since the Lord 
measured out the waters in the hollow of his hand. 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 141 

The righteousness of saints is of an active, stirring, 
restless nature. It is always employed in getting or 
doing good. As it regards devotional exercises, the 
Christian does not pray on the Sabbath, and neglect 
to pray on the week-day. He is always the same 
uniform character, at home and abroad, on the land 
and on the sea. In works of benevolence he is act- 
ive, too. He does not murmur when solicited to 
help the poor, or to support the Gospel. He rejoices 
in every opportunity he has, to lay up treasure in 
heaven; and there is no bilge-water religion in his 
soul. He is instant, in season and out of season, in 
exhorting, reproving, and rebuking, with all long- 
suffering and tender compassion. 

4. The waves of the sea roll free for all men. 
The land may be divided, and is divided, by lines 
and fences; and avaricious man may set the bound- 
aries of his domain; but the independent billows of 
the proud sea disdain all property-marks and indi- 
vidual claims, and, rolling high over all impertinent 
pretensions, flow freely for all mankind — as free for 
the fragile skiff of the untutored savage, as for the 
splendid frigate that bears a nation's thunder round 
the world. So this righteousness flows free for all 
men; and whosoever will come, may come, and par- 
take of the water of life freely. 

5. In the hardest storms, the waves of the sea rise 
highest, and loom the most majestic, till, with foam- 
ing hands, they seem to slap the saucy clouds that 
have aroused their wrath. In the midst of perse- 
cution, affliction, and distress, or while the keen 



142 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

tempest of poverty is sweeping over God's heritage, 
then the saint mounts nearest to his God, and the 
power of divine grace that sustains him awes a 
guilty world. 

II. It is only in obeying the commandments of 
God we can have peace. 

Man, in an unconverted state, is in rebellion 
against God. There is war between the sinner and 
his Maker. The Spirit warreth against the flesh, 
and the flesh fighteth against the Spirit, and these 
are contrary, the one to the other. Man first in- 
trenches himself in infidelity, and denies his moral 
responsibility to his Creator, and wars against every 
principle of righteousness and true holiness. The 
Lord, by his word, his Spirit, his ministry, and his 
economy in creation and providence, contends 
against the unbelief of his obstinate subject, till, not 
unfrequently, he is made to yield to the force and 
power of divine truth, so as to acknowledge the 
righteous claims of Heaven. But is he then re- 
claimed? Far from it. He confesses the authority 
of God, the equity of his law, the beauty of holi- 
ness, and the absolute necessity of the sinner's re- 
generation, in order to eternal happiness; bu# he 
now takes shelter in the fortress of procrastination. 
He will keep the commandments of God; but not 
now. He would burn out the lively taper of life in 
the service of God's enemy, and then fling the ashes 
on heaven's altar; and he thinks that the Almighty 
will bear the insult. We do not mean that this is 
universally the case. There are those who have 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 143 

submitted to the Lord as soon as they have been 
convinced of the falsehood of their views. We 
were greatly pleased with the experience of an old 
tar, which was given in one of the Bethel meetings. 
It seems that the morning of his life had been spent 
in sinful mirth. The ship in which he was sailing was 
so circumstanced, for the time being, that the most ex- 
perienced had no hope of being saved, but were ex- 
pecting death every moment. All hands had betaken 
themselves to prayer but this poor sailor. The ship- 
mates implored him to think of his soul, and to call 
upon God. "No, no," said he, "I must not now. 
I have lived in sin till now. I dare not insult my 
Maker by offering him the very last dregs of my 
miserable life. I can not do so mean. I see the 
folly of my life; and, if I had the prospect of a few 
more years ahead, I would act otherwise; but now 
it is too late. I could have no confidence in my own 
repentance at this late hour." He would not bow 
his knees. The ship was providentially delivered 
from her perilous situation. The crew were glad. 
Soon the intoxicating cup passed round. Their songs 
and oaths again resounded through the forecastle; 
but he who would not insult his Maker, by offering 
him his last hour, was not seen in their noisy mess. 
Like the poor, stricken deer, he withdrew from the 
wicked club, and, in secret, sought the Lord, and 
never rested till the peace of God possessed his soul. 
He was the only one, of all the ship's company, that 
forsook his sins. But how many, who profess to be 
men of principle, are procrastinating till death or 



144 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

old age! And when the Lord, by all the means and 
appliances of the Gospel, routs sinners out of their 
procrastination, do they then submit? No* always. 
They generally make their last retreat into the castle 
of despair. They write bitter things against them- 
selves, and madly blaspheme their God. They now 
say, "The time has been when we might have 
sought and found salvation. We then said, ' Time 
enough yet: time enough yet!' But now mercy is 
clean gone forever; the harvest is over; the summer 
is ended; and we are not saved." But our gracious 
Lord fights against their dark despondency, and 
often saves them with an everlasting salvation. 

Or, if you wish to view the subject in a more ship- 
shape form, let us weigh anchor, and put out into 
blue water. Look out on the troubled sea of life! 
Behold that gallant man-of-war! At her peak waves 
the bloody ensign of the cross, and the pennant of 
just retribution coils gracefully around her towering 
main. She is laden with grace, and plentifully 
supplied with the bread and water of life. She is 
on a cruise of mercy, commanded by the eternal 
Emanuel; and the crew that is with him are called, 
and faithful, and chosen. On her stern, in letters of 
light, may be seen, "The Everlasting Gospel." 
She carries four beautiful sky -lights, and in them 
are the names of the holy Evangelists of almighty 
God. Omnipotence stands at the helm, and her 
magazine is the word of God. 

But do you see that miserable group of pica- 
roons to windward? It is the squadron of human 



Lorraix's Sea-Sermons. 145 

depravity, that is bearing down to make war with 
the Lord and the Gospel. The first ship that heaves 
into action is Infidelity. She is as old as the Gos- 
pel. Although her rigging, at first sight, appears, 
to some, weighty and imposing, yet she is of no 
depth, and, if possible, of less burden. She is 
commanded by the devil — the high-admiral of the 
black — and, in company with other mutineers, is 
convoying the world to hell. Her crew are remark- 
able for their dexterity, but still more remarkable 
for a wrong application of their powers. While 
danger is at a distance, they are bold and boisterous; 
but, in storms and engagements, they skulk miser- 
ably. They are well drilled in every branch of 
Tom Cox's traverse, and can sling the hatchet 
admirably. Infidelity fights with Satanic malice. 
She wages the war with a design to rib and sink the 
everlasting Gospel, and not leave a single plank on 
which the Christian may escape to land. But her 
shot are formed of very brittle materials — satire, 
low wit, and ridicule — which can make but little 
impression on bulwarks founded in truth. She 
belches out many rockets and bombs of sacrilege 
and blasphemy, which fly harmless over the old 
ship Zion, or, if they strike at all, rebound, with 
fatal fury, on the heads of the assailant. 

The war, on the part of the Gospel, is a war of 
mercy; for she launched out into the world, not to 
destroy the world, but that the world, through her, 
might be saved. Hence, her guns are principally 
leveled at the hull and rigging of Infidelity, which 
10 



146 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

have long since been riddled and cut in pieces by 
the force and power of divine truth. It is the de- 
sign of the great Captain of our salvation to expose 
the weakness of the shelter, that those who have 
embarked in such a wretched expedition may be in- 
duced to quit the wreck, and seek safety in the ark 
of eternal salvation. It is true that the Lord some- 
times, by way of example, lays a notorious sinner 
low, that others may fear, and lay it to heart, and 
repent. And there have been times of special retri- 
bution, when the scuppers have been strewed with 
the slain. It has been thought by some, that this 
old frigate of damnation would have struck long 
since, were it not for a little flat-bottomed tender, 
called "Pride," which is dressed up in all the colors 
of the rainbow. It is amusing to see this little craft 
maneuvering. She is frequently down on her beam's 
end; but is very active in righting again. When 
any of the infidels jump overboard, and swim for 
their lives, to lay hold on the hope set before them, 
she generally follows them with a volley of small 
arms, hissing and laughing. And there are some 
who dread her popguns more than they do all the 
thunder of the law and Gospel. But, thank God! 
great numbers have deserted infidelity, and laid hold 
on the hawser of eternal life. Sometimes Infidelity 
has been so weakened by the victories of the cross, 
that she has been compelled to haul off, for a season, 
to clear the wreck, ship hands, stop leaks, repair dam- 
ages, reeve new braces, splice backstays, paint her 
sides, and mask her batteries, that she may renew 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 147 

the conflict under more imposing circumstances. 
Meantime, all her crew who have become crippled, 
or any way disaffected, are transferred on board 
"Procrastination," which next comes into action. 
This vessel is not so formidable and martial in her 
appearance, and not so open in her hostility. She 
is a remarkably dull sailer, and is manned with such 
as are halting between two opinions. She is com- 
manded by Presumption, and steered by Delusion; 
and although slow, to a proverb, there is not a ship 
in all the navy of hell better calculated to convey 
souls to perdition. Every one who enters on board, 
does so with an intention of deserting at some time. 
Indeed, the captain favors this idea, and permits the 
vessel to be rigged with good desires. He thinks 
that while they are content to live in procrastination, 
and feed on golden dreams, he is as certain of them 
as if they were already fast anchored in the infernal 
lake. As soon as Procrastination comes within gun- 
shot, she hoists a beggarly flag of truce, professes 
to be convinced of the divine structure of the Gospel, 
and of her invincible power. She hails the Prince 
of Peace, and declares that she will strike, and come 
under his lee; but — but — but not now. Indeed, she 
always has more buts than brains on board; so she 
continues slyly to ply her carronades. 

The Gospel does not abate her thunder at all, but 
pours it in, hot and heavy, broadside after broadside. 
However, "the weapons of her warfare are not car- 
nal, but mighty, through God, to the pulling down 
of strongholds." Her shot, made of solid truth, and 



148 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

molded in love, are taken from the locker of divine 
inspiration. Here, "every bullet has its billet.'' 
They bear various inscriptions; such as, " To-day, 
if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts;" 
or, (i Behold, now is the accepted time: now is the day 
of salvation." Sometimes the Lord sends a shaft 
of Divine judgment, and cuts a sinner down, that 
the survivors may number their days, and apply 
their hearts to wisdom; for even the arrows of the 
Almighty are dipped in compassion, and winged 
with mercy. The incessant firing of the Gospel 
often makes a good impression, and many cry out, 
" We will submit." But it is only the man who says, 
"I do submit," who has learned the happy art of 
escaping this fascinating hooker. The word and 
leap go together, and the sinner springs from the 
gunwale of Procrastination, throws himself on the 
unbounded sea of God's mercy, and is picked up by 
the life-boat of Zion's holy ship. But it is to be 
lamented that when the enemy sees a disposition in 
some for an immediate surrender, he binds them 
hand and foot, and removes them to the old prison- 
ship of "Despair." She may be called a prison- 
ship, because she is so strongly guarded by the pow- 
ers of darkness; nevertheless, there is fighting on 
board. She is perfectly black: waists, bends, and 
bottom; and always carries her dead-lights shipped. 
She is commanded by Despondency, and her gunner 
is Blasphemy. She is much disabled in her head, 
and fights by fits and starts. Her shot are wild and 
scattering; an<i her crew, in their frantic and disor- 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 149 

dered state, often run out their guns breech foremost, 
and rake their own decks miserably. They write 
bitter things against themselves, and believe that 
they are the marked objects of God's displeasure. 
But the Lord deals tenderly with them, and throws 
out very encouraging signals. He hails them through 
his silver trumpet, and says, " Come, let us reason 
together; and though your sins be as scarlet, I will 
make them as white as snow." " Come unto me, all 
ye that are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." 
At times the crew will encourage them to hope, by 
saying, "Once, such were some of us; but we are 
washed, we are justified, we are sanctified, by the 
Spirit of our God. Come, 0, ye despairing sinners, 
and trust a faithful Lord!" And, blessed be God! 
some do escape, even from this last sad refuge of 
despair, and are boused, joyfully, on board the ever- 
lasting Gospel. 

Such are some of the enemies that the Gospel has 
to contend with, in the world at large, as well as in 
the bosom of every man. But we humbly trust that 
she is now getting the weather-gauge. A little more 
tacking and wearing, and beating and hauling — a 
few more long legs and short ones, and, glory to 
God! we will reach the pleasant latitude of the mil- 
lennial trade-winds; and we w r ill have nothing to do 
but up helm, square her yards, run out her stud-sail- 
booms, hoist every sail chock block, make fast the 
haul-yards for a full due, cut away the down-hauls, 
and drive the triumphant flag of our God through 
the blazing fleet of the enemy, set on fire the king- 



150 The Square-Eigged Cruiser; or, 

dom of darkness, and, in the strength of our great 
Redeemer, capsize the throne of hell. And, thank 
God! there is no danger of a short allowance — no 
fear of starvation. We have heaven for our store- 
ship, Jesus Christ for our Purser, the wine of the 
kingdom to splice the main-brace, and our bread and 
our water are sure. All we have to do, is, to stand 
every man to his station, and cook to the fore-sheet, 
keep a bright look-out ahead, watch the lee-lurch and 
the weather-roll; while our adorable Captain will 
cheer us with the sound, "Steady as she goes! Thus! 
thus! very well thus!" And let the sinner renounce 
his infidelity, desert procrastination, and give despair 
a wide berth, and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, 
and peace — sweet peace, will overflow his soul. 

The peace, consequent on keeping the command- 
ments of God, is as a river. Peace! 0, how lovely 
that word! I have sometimes thought, that if a for- 
eigner — a stranger to our language — should merely 
hear that word, he would at once suspect, from the 
melody of its tone, that it was a favorite vehicle of 
mental treasure. Peace! write it; how fair! sound 
it; how harmonious! Even political peace is sweet. 
When two nations have been distracted, and laid 
waste by war, and it is announced over the land, 
that 

"Wild war's deadly blast is blown, 
And gentle peace returning," 

both people are at once struck tremulous with joy, 
and earth's remotest regions smile with sympathy. 
In my younger days I used to be singularly affected 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 151 

by a song of my shipmates. The song itself was 
rough and uncouth, both in regard to rhyme and 
measure; but its sentiment always touched some of 
the most tender chords of our nature. It was the 
simple narrative of a poor man-of-war's man, who 
had been pressed, and dragged away, to fight the 
battles of his country. And after hard fighting, the 
ship is represented as having returned, and anchored 
in full view of his native plains; and he goes on to 
sing, 

"As on. the yards we lay, 
The topsails for to furl, 
I heard the pilot say, 
'Twas peace with all the world." 

In my imagination, I saw the poor man returned 
to his native isle; but no prospect of deliverance — 
no restoration to his family and friends, while the 
war lasted. He mounts the ratlins with a heavy 
heart, and slowly lays out on the yard-arm to dis- 
charge a duty, from which he never expected to be 
released till death. But just as he is bending over, 
to lay hold on the leech, he hears the pilot, who had 
just boarded, say to the officers on deck, "It is peace 
with all the world!" 0, how sweet was the sound, 
to the weather-beaten and war-worn sailor! a joyous 
prelude to his deliverance from a floating hell, and 
his restoration to liberty and domestic happiness! 
But what is this, to the thrilling ecstasy of the young 
convert, who can lay his hand upon his breast and 
say, "I have peace within, peace with my God, and 
peace with all the world!" 

Peace like a river. Rivers commonly originate in 



152 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

small springs. We might trace the Mississippi, the 
great father of waters, up to a small, but perpetual 
spring in the far-off mountains. Look at it, in its 
origin. The little unassuming stream winds noise- 
lessly along. But, as it flows along, other springs 
unite their tributary drops. At first, small obstruc- 
tions — little stones, may interrupt its course, and 
control its tortuous way; but, as it is reinforced by 
its numerous and inexhaustible allies, it gathers 
strength. In its first formation, it might have turned 
into some deep valley surrounded by inaccessible 
mountains; but there it swells, rises, and roars, till, 

" Gathering triple force, rapid and deep 
It boils, and wheels, and foams, and — thunders through." 

The everlasting hills give way; and on it rushes, 
plowing a deeper bed, and spreading wider banks, 
till it pours down into the unmeasured ocean. 

So the peace of God progresses in the soul. The 
river, even, in its origin, is pure water. So the 
righteousness of saints is peace in the beginning; 
for, "being justified through faith, we have peace 
with God." This peace is subject to much interrup- 
tion, in the young convert's bosom; and though it 
may be occasionally diverted in its progress, by un- 
controllable circumstances, it will continually seek 
the level of Christian humility. As the Christian 
grows in grace, and in the knowledge of the Lord, 
new streams and rills of consolation, love, and joy, 
flow in. The water rises; 

'•A rill — a stream — a torrent flows; 
Yet pours the mighty flood!" 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 153 

His peace becomes deeper, spreads wider, till it be- 
comes a mighty river — a broad river! Risen waters! 
Alleluiah! A river in which the whole sacramental 
host of God's elect might swim — a river that will 
flow forever, because its fountain is eternal and in- 
exhaustible. 

Those who keep the commandments of God, shall 
have peace as a river, and righteousness as the waves 
of the sea. It remains for us to ask, will you, fellow- 
sinners, and shipmates, keep the commandments of 
God? will you begin now, "by repentance toward 
God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ?" Do not 
meet us with the stale objection, "We can not." 
When the prophet exhorted the revolted Israelites 
to inquire for the old paths and walk in them, they 
answered over and above-board, "We will not walk 
therein." They did not say, "We can not." They 
knew that they could. They knew that their fathers 
had walked therein. They knew that there was a 
time when there was no spot in Israel — no defilement 
in Jacob. When a poor apostate prophet stood up 
to curse them, a divine afflatus overpowered him, 
and he exclaimed, "How goodly are thy tents, 0, 
Israel! Let me die the death of the righteous; let 
my last end be like his!" They knew that they 
could keep his commandments, but they said, " We 
will not." Our Savior, who knew all that was in 
man, in the day of his incarnation, gave the same 
reason why sinners would not obey him. "Ye will 
not come unto me, that ye might have life." 

Then cease the effeminate cry, "We can not; we 



154 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

can not." Nothing keeps you from obeying the 
commandments of God, but your own obstinate and 
perverse wills. The Lord has done every thing that 
he can, consistent with his attributes, and the moral 
agency of man, to save sinners. He has slain the 
sacrifice, prepared the feast, and sent his servants to 
say, " All things are now ready; come ye to the sup- 
per." But if ye will not, ye will die in your sins, 
and your Maker can only lament, "0, that thou 
hadst hearkened unto my commandments; then had 
thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as 
the waves of the sea." 



The river, in its rapid course, 
By streams and fountains fed, 

At every mile augments its force, 
And plows a deeper bed. 

'Tis first opposed by bars and shoals, 
By rocks and mountains too ; 

But as th' increasing torrent rolls, 
It cuts its passage through. 

Then onward moves with swifter pace, 

And an impetuous sweep, 
And strains an everlasting race, 

To swell the mighty deep. 

Just so, the Christian's growing peace 

Enlarges as it flows, 
Till lost in love's unbounded seas, 

It quits its narrow shores. 

Now, scattered wide by winds and tides, 

This sacred peace expands, 
On waves of righteousness it rides, 

And washes distant lands. 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 155 

Lord, let its limpid billows roll ; 

0, let the flood increase ; 
Till love shall reign in every soul, 

And war forever cease ! 



156 The Square-Rigged Cruiser'; or, 



SERMON VII. 
Relief at the Helm. 

Behold the gallant bark, 

So heavy, deep, and large, 
While gathering clouds and tempests dark 

Their furious winds discharge ! 

She darts, -with rapid flight, 

Before the sweeping gale ; 
Onward she drives, and shoots, in spite 

Of reefed or shortened sail. 

While tow'ring seas o'erwhelm, 
She mocks their mighty force ; 

Yet what a little, trifling helm 
Directs her foaming course ! 

And, though she 'tempts a lurch, 

Her strongest efforts fail ; 
The rudder luffs her to the surge, 

And shivers every sail. 

Just so the snorting steed 

Is, by his rider's skill, 
In all his rage and lightning speed, 

Still bridled in, at will. 

The bit and rudder can 

Such potent strength control ; 

And so the slender tongue of man 
Commands the mighty soul. 

Who can its malice tame? 

Who can withstand its ire? 
It dips into infernal flame, 

And sets the world on fire. 

Is such its sovereign sway 

O'er all the human race? 
Then grant, O, Lord, it ever may 

Be snubbed or curbed by grace ! 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 157 

"Behold, also, the ships, which, though they be so great, and 
are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very 
small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth; even so the 
tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things," James ni, 4, 5. 

The principle of steering was discovered at a very- 
early period. Men were, doubtless, instructed in it 
by the broad hints of nature. The ease and facility 
with which the birds of the air and the fishes of the 
sea directed their courses through the heavens and 
waters, perhaps, suggested the idea of applying a 
similar power to boats. The art of ship-building 
was but in its infancy in the days of the apostle; yet 
it was a matter of admiration to him, that the ships, 
which were so large, and which were often driven 
by fierce winds, were so completely controlled by so 
small a thing as a helm. In the present day, vast 
improvements are making in shipping; and when we 
see our frigates and enormous three-deckers, sur- 
passing in magnitude all that the ancients ever imag- 
ined, under weigh, it is still a matter of wonder that 
they are governed by such small helms. It is true 
that the principle is simple and of easy apprehen- 
sion; and it is a notorious fact, that the stronger the 
wind, in a smooth sea, the greater command the 
rudder has, and the quicker the ship will answer her 
helm, if a corresponding power can be applied to 
the wheel or tiller. Yet, as simple as it is, when we 
see such mighty hulls, bearing such a cloud of can- 
vas, and flying before such tremendous gales, and 
still kept to the point by a little rudder, we can not 
withhold our admiration. 



158 The Square- Rigged Cruiser; or, 

The apostle James did not so strictly mark the 
works of art merely to gratify a vain curiosity; but, 
like his Lord and Master, he drew, from every thing 
around him, moral truths, which were calculated to 
stimulate himself and others to a life of practical 
holiness. The position assumed by James is a geo- 
metrical one: as 

The Rudder : The Ship : : The Tongue : The 
Man. 

I. Some of the most horrid, most heaven-daring, 
most God-provoking sins which are to be found on the 
black catalogue of human vices, flow from the tongue. 

1. Lying. This is a most abhorrent crime, in the 
view of our holy God. Hence, he has declared that 
whosoever loveth or maketh a lie shall be excluded 
from the new and heavenly Jerusalem. Some people 
are rather too conscientious to make a lie; yet they 
will hear and read lies with a great deal of pleasure 
and complacency. But God so abhors falsehood 
that he consigns both the maker and the lover of a 
lie to the lake that burns with fire and brimstone. 
And this should astonish no one, when he reflects 
how necessary is truth to the happiness and well- 
being of human society. If all men should become 
habitual liars, what would be the consequences? 
All history would soon become vitiated. The next 
generation could have no correct information in re- 
gard to past ages; but universal incredulity would 
prevail. It would only be by dangerous or fatal 
experience that men could tell what is poisonous 
and what is nutritious. The merchant could put no 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 159 

dependence on information received from foreign 
markets. Brother would utterly supplant brother. 
All the bands of society would be dissolved, and tlie 
peace of mankind destroyed. Then the man who is 
a common liar does all that he can do to bring about 
this state of things. It is only because others are 
more cautious than himself that we are saved from 
such wide-spread ruin; and he is just as guilty, in 
the sight of God, as he would be if all mankind 
were of the same stamp. But, as bad as this prac- 
tice is, some are not ashamed to apologize for it 
under certain modifications. Some will say, "There 
is no harm in telling lies in jest; that is, white lies, 
which are not intended to injure any one in his char- 
acter, person, or estate — falsehood by way of amuse- 
ment." There are, perhaps, no lies more inexcu- 
sable. Men may be strongly tempted to lie, when, 
by so doing, they might secure some temporal good, 
or shield themselves from some threatening calamity; 
but to tell lies in jest is biting at the naked hook of 
the devil, without the stimulus of a bait; and it 
would be a sorry excuse to give in the great day, 
"Lord, we trampled on thy commandments for our 
own sport." And we might add, after long observa- 
tion, we have never met with one who would lie for 
fun who would not lie seriously, if pushed. 

Others will say, "This lying in sport is a small, 
dirty, and sometimes perplexing business. It must 
be a little mind that can stoop so low; but we have 
sometimes thought that there are circumstances 
which might justify us in telling a falsehood seri- 



160 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

ously. If I could rescue the unfortunate or inno- 
cent, by departing from the truth, would not God 
regard my motive? Will not the end sanctify the 
means, so that the act may not only be justified, but 
highly approved by Heaven?" This is the old doc- 
trine, "Let us do evil that good may come." The 
apostle gives a sufficient answer to this, when he 
says, "If my lie redounds to the glory of God, why 
am I then counted a sinner?" True; why has God 
condemned the liar as a sinner, if his falsehood 
brings glory to God? The Christian is not bound 
always to tell all the truth he knows, unless he is 
under the obligations of an oath. If his giving a 
direct answer to a pointed question would involve 
an innocent person in trouble, he has a right to 
evade that question. Our Lord has given us an 
example of this. When he overtook two of his dis- 
ciples, after his crucifixion, and asked them what 
sorrowful communications they had by the way, 
they said, "Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, 
that thou knowest not the things which have lately 
taken place?" Now, our Lord knew very well what 
had taken place; but, instead of giving a direct 
answer, he said, "What things?" and this he did 
merely to draw them into deeper conversation. 
"Be ye wise as serpents and harmless as doves." 
But, even were it otherwise, and were we obliged to 
tell all we know to every inquisitive fool, still we 
believe that no serious evil can finally result from 
the truth. A partial and temporary evil may seem 
to result from the disclosure of truth; but in the 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 161 

great day of eternity, and in the restitution of all 
things, we are persuaded that it will appear that the 
truth has never wrought any serious damage to our 
world. It was a correct observation of a certain 
good man, that "he would not tell a willful lie to 
save the world." He justly argued, that if he will- 
fully sinned, he would destroy himself; and what 
would he be profited if he should save the whole 
world and lose his own soul? Has not this evil been 
too prevalent in the Church? We do not wish to 
stand up as an accuser of the brethren; but is there 
not too much violation of promise? Do not pro- 
fessors very often give solemn promises and pledges, 
and yet, at the time and place, there is a complete 
failure? It is true that they will say that they have 
not willfully deceived — that they seriously intended 
to fulfill their promises at the time they were made; 
but some trivial circumstance — a slight headache, a 
little shower of rain, or the recollection of some pre- 
vious arrangement — stepped in between them and 
the sanctity of their word, and they carelessly dis- 
appointed those who put all confidence in their prom- 
ises. Now, is there not an immorality in this? In 
the first place, we should not promise at all, unless 
we have a fixed purpose of performing; and, in the 
second place, having promised, we should suffer 
nothing but uncontrollable circumstances to come 
in between us and the majesty of our word. The 
world, that knows nothing about our ifs and ands, 
and our mental reservations, will say, and with great 
appearance of truth, "They have lied." The day 
11 



162 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

of judgment only will reveal the extent of damage 
that has been done by such professors of religion. 

2. Cursing and swearing are also to be numbered 
among the evil fruits of the tongue. Though men 
of all countries and languages are guilty of this, yet 
it is generally supposed that swearing is the prevail- 
ing sin of sailors: and, notwithstanding the enor- 
mity of this crime, there are those who will attempt 
an apology. When reproved, they will say, "Sir, 
I hope you do not think I swear or curse mali- 
ciously. If I did call on God to blast the eyes of 
my shipmate, I did not mean so. Were he struck 
blind by a flash of lightning, no one would regret 
it more than myself, and I would do all I could to 
help him. Such language is more the fruit of habit 
than any fixed wickedness of heart. Indeed, I often 
swear without being conscious of doing so." 

We will admit that much of the swearing which 
we hear is habitual. We have seen some who were 
much addicted to profane language, who, never- 
theless, seemed to be greatly shocked on hearing 
strange and novel oaths. We once sailed on a pas- 
sage to America with a captain who was the most 
blasphemous character I ever knew. His temper 
was ungovernable at all times; but, in consequence 
of a succession of calms and head-winds, he became 
almost insane. He would walk the deck for hours, 
mouthing the heavens. Sometimes his mind would 
seem to be tortured in inventing new and unheard- 
of oaths. He made it a daily duty, at the close of 
every day, to shake his clinched fist at the setting 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 163 

sun, and, with the most horrid imprecations, would 
dare him to rise again on a foul wind. Although 
the hands were accustomed to curse and swear in 
the common mode, they were shocked and astounded 
at his novel and strange profanity. A cloud of deep 
despondency rested on the crew, and they sworf 1 
that they believed that the Almighty would never 
permit the ship to reach home with such an ungodly 
captain. Being but a boy, I merely ventured to 
say, "But do not you swear, too, and in the very 
act of condemning the captain?" The answer was, 
"We are in the habit of it — a bad habit, truly; but 
don't you see he swears maliciously?" Nothing is 
more certain than that men may be so accustomed 
to profane language as not to realize its sinfulness. 
But the question is, Is this a fair apology? Will 
you say that you have sinned against God so much, 
so repeatedly, that it has become habitual — quite 
natural and harmless? When you first began to 
take such liberties with the awful name of the Most 
High, did you do so without being conscious of the 
sin? 0, no; you had many a hard conflict with 
your conscience before you silenced its batteries and 
took the weather-gauge. And this is the way in 
regard to every sin. Continual practice will make 
the most revolting crimes habitual. 

" Vice is a monster of such frightful mien, 
As, to be hated, needs but to be seen; 
But, seen too oft, familiar with its face, 
We first endure, then pity, then embrace." 

Some years since a man was hanged in one of our 
American cities for a certain murder. Under the 



164 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

gallows, he confessed that he had killed seventeen 
people, and that he had become so habituated to the 
work, that he had murdered one who was an entire 
stranger to him, and against whom he had no mal- 
ice; but, for the paltry consideration of five dollars, 
he had driven him into eternity, "with all his unpar- 
doned sins upon him. Yet he did not maliciously, 
but habitually, slay him! So is it with swearing. 
It is no apology to say it is habitual. It rather ag- 
gravates the crime a thousand-fold; and a holy God 
will damn sinners by scores and hundreds for being 
practiced blasphemers. It used to be a saying 
among officers, that they could not command their 
men without swearing. Indeed, we pity that officer 
whose resources are so slender. But this doctrine 
has been going down since religion has begun to 
diffuse its influence more widely on the high seas. 
It has been discovered that those officers who "swear 
not at all," and who will not tolerate the practice on 
board, are, without exception, the ablest command- 
ers. It is a difficult task to reform a crew in this 
matter, and the man who succeeds in it gives ample 
testimony that he is an able captain. Such was Sir 
James Saumarez, a distinguished officer, who com- 
manded a full-manned ship-of-war, and never suf- 
fered an oath on board, or a swearer to tarry in his 
sight. 

But, we might ask, what good does it do for sea- 
men to swear? Some sailors think that when they 
are about to tell an extra yarn, if they do not season 
it plentifully with oaths, it will not be believed. 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 165 

But there is nothing so well calculated to cast a shade 
of suspicion around a tale, as vain swearing. When 
you spy a ship at sea, with her masts fished from 
head to heel, and a great many preventer-stays about 
it, do you not at once conclude that the masts are 
sprung, or, that there is something rotten within? 
Well; just so, when we hear a story well slushed 
with ugly words, and find a great many round turns 
and half-hitches about it, we can not help thinking 
it is a lie of the first magnitude, and there is no 
soundness in it. Hence, you hear people always 
call for naked truth — truth without tar or tackling. 
And it is a common saying, that "those who are not 
afraid to appeal to the awful Go'd of heaven, on ev- 
ery trifling occasion, are not afraid to lie." 

" To swear, is neither brave, polite, nor wise." 

It is not brave; for, although some brave men have 
fallen into the disgusting practice, there are thousands 
equally brave who never swear; and, on the other 
hand, there are tens of thousands of the most cow- 
ardly wretches that the sun shines on, who assume 
such rough and boisterous language, to throw a 
counterfeit bravado around them. 

It is not polite; for it makes the conversation of 
a man disagreeable to the wise and virtuous of both 
sexes; and, indeed, it disqualifies a person for polite 
and decent company. 

It is not wise; because many of the senseless 
phrases, which are used by swearers, have no def- 
inite meaning accorded to them in our vocabulary. 
Some have acknowledged that they have slid into 



166 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

the habit, on account of the poverty of their lan- 
guage. That is, they are often at a loss for words 
to express themselves; and where this is the case, 
rather than stammer, or falter, they supply the 
chasms with cursing and swearing. But why at a 
loss for words? is it because the English language 
is too meager? No; words are signs of our ideas. 
There are words in abundance; but the swearer, who 
acknowledges this dilemma, betrays the fact that he 
is minus in ideas: sufficient testimony this, that he is 
not wise. 

But it may be asked, What harm does cursing and 
swearing do? It insults the Almighty, and all who 
love and admire him. It grapples the lightnings of 
heaven, and draws down eternal ruin on all who live 
and die in the unholy practice. What does God say 
of such? " As he loved cursing; so let it come unto 
him. As he delighted not in blessing; so let it be 
far from him. As he clothed himself [habitually] 
with cursing, like as with a garment; so let it come 
into his bowels like water, and like oil in his bones. 
What shall be done with thee, 0, thou false tongue? 
Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper." 
And yet, hear the blasphemous sinner call upon God 
to damn his own soul! Dost thou know, O, wretch- 
ed man, what it is for a soul to be damned? The 
angels do not know. The unhappy lost do not know. 
They know that they are lost; but they are still look- 
ing forward for fiercer surges of wrath and indigna- 
tion. None but God the Infinite can fathom eternal 
ruin; and it is because he does know the whole 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 167 

amount of woe, that he does not load every squall 
with damnation, and answer your wicked prayer in 
every flash of lightning. 

3. False swearing, or perjury, is another sin of 
the tongue. This has prevailed to an alarming ex- 
tent among seamen. Officers have been guilty of 
this for pecuniary considerations, and have wiped 
their mouths and said, "Pshaw! a custom-house oath 
is nothing." Sailors before the mast, have deliber- 
ately perjured themselves to procure protections for 
their shipmates, or for fear of losing their wages. 
And because they have kissed their thumbs instead 
of the Bible, or muttered to themselves, "So help 
me Bob," or made use of some other mean strata- 
gem, they suppose that they have shot far to wind- 
ward of heaven. But let such skulkers know, that 
it is as much perjury to swear falsely in a custom- 
house, as it is to swear falsely in a church; and if 
they deceive the officer and obtain their end, God is 
not mocked; they are perjured, and have exposed 
themselves to eternal fire. 

4. A violation of the marriage vow, is another 
grievous transgression. See that man, who arrives 
a stranger, in a strange port. He pays his addresses 
to some innocent, but simple girl; and without wait- 
ing to inquire into his circumstances, she consents to 
marry him. The honeymoon, as it is called, is 
hardly passed, before she finds that she is tied to a 
man who has another wife, and several children. 
He then gathers up his plunder, sails to other ports, 
marries again, and again, till he has a wife in almost 



168 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

every port. And while he is thus scattering arrows, 
fire-brands, and death, he wipes his mouth and says, 
"I am in sport." But let us say, we believe, if there 
is one vault in hell, more intensely ignited with Di- 
vine wrath than another, it must be for that man, 
who tramples under foot the finest feelings of the 
heart, and makes a mock of this holy institution of 
God; for marriage was instituted in the time of 
man's innocence, and, therefore, is not to be entered 
into lightly, or irreverently, but in the fear of the 
Lord. 

5. Filthy communications. What shameful lasciv- 
iousness is often heard in the conversation of wicked 
men! How often are forecastles disgraced, and 
turned into floating hells, by the filthy language of 
men, who glory in spouting out their own shame, in 
words which would make a dog blush, if he could 
comprehend their meaning: and all about lawless 
and loathsome prostitutes, who have stripped them 
of all their wages and rigging, to the last shirt — who 
have discharged them, as soon as the last shot in the 
locker is expended, and have driven them out to sea 
again, laden with a foul conscience and a shameful 
disease! Miserable sailors! you have spent your 
time and money, while on shore, in debauchery, rev- 
eling, and drunkenness, and have again put out, 
paying off", perhaps, your just debts under the fore- 
topsail. But now, even now, if, in your sober mo- 
ments at sea, you would spend your time in mourn- 
ing over errors past, and would seek the favor of 
God, you might be saved. But, alas! you love to 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 169 

recount your shameful acts, in language too vile to 
be recorded. How disgraceful to a ship's company! 
How corrupting to boys and apprentices! And, 0, 
how wicked in the estimation of that pure and holy 
Being, who has said, "Let no impure communication 
proceed from your lips!" And how well calculated 
is such a course to bring down the wrath of God, 
and sink ship and cargo, soul and body, into a bot- 
tomless hell! 

6. Tale-bearing, slander, quarreling, and abuse. 
These are sins of the tongue. They are not only 
sinful in themselves, but often exercise their influence 
over the whole man. They set on fire the whole 
course of our corrupt nature. "The poison of asps 
is under the tongue." "It is a deadly evil, which 
no man can tame." The lion, the tiger, the shark, 

"The fell hyena— fellest of the fell," 
might be tamed; but the unruly tongue "is set on 
fire of hell;" who can tame it? There is scarcely 
any thing more grievous to a noble mind, than to be 
obliged to bear the inflictions of an untrammeled 
tongue. It is said, a sailor on board a man-of-war, 
was, on a certain occasion, ordered to the gangway, 
to receive a flogging. While preparations were mak- 
ing, the commander began to give him a severe and 
irritating tongue-lashing. After enduring the scold 
for some time, poor Jack looked up very pitifully in 
his face and said, " Commodore, please your honor, 
if you are going to flog me, flog me; but if you are 
going to speech me, why speech me; but for mercy's 
cake, don't speech me and flog me both." There 



170 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

was so much good sense in the expostulation, that 
the commodore smiled, and said, "Loose him, and 
let him go." There are, doubtless, some who, 
under similar circumstances, would prefer the flog- 
ging. But when a man abuses one who is his 
equal, whose hands are not tied, what then? It 
often ends in blows — in bloody deeds — in murder. 
We were once lying below Savannah; the captain 
had gone ashore; the men had been drinking freely; 
and presently their tongues began to move with 
great velocity; when, all at once, a fight began all 
over the ship, from the mate down to the steward 
and cook. The consequences were, black eyes and 
bloody noses; and, when the combat was over, no 
one on board could tell what began the affray. It 
seems that the devil, by getting the command of 
their tongues, a few moments, set them all to fighting 
for his own Satanic amusement. 

II. But whence originates this great evil? It 
does not take its rise in the mere step of the tongue; 
for if that slender member were amputated, and pen, 
ink, and paper were given to the sinner, it would 
still be cursing, swearing, slander, abuse. The same 
spirit which once clothed the tongue with poison still 
reigns. The power of the helm is not inherent, but 
may rather be considered in the light of a reaction. 
The ship being forced through the water by the 
wind, creates a pressure of current on each side of 
the rudder. This enables the helmsman to make it 
act or react on the ship, and direct her in her course. 
So, while man is driven by the winds of corrupt 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 171 

nature, and his own unsanctified will stands at the 
helm, it is not wonderful that his tongue should 
react, and set on fire his whole evil nature. So the 
tongue derives its deadly poison from the heart. 
Out of the heart proceed lying, cursing, slander, 
and every evil work and word. "The evil man out 
of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that 
which is evil." His tongue is an active agent in 
publishing his shame, and often drives him into the 
muddy waters of strife and contention. Indeed, all 
sins, whether of the tongue or other members, orig- 
inate in the corruption of the human heart. This 
corruption is common to mankind. "Whence come 
wars and fighting amongst us? Come they not 
hence even of our lust?" "Why is it that nation is 
lifting up sword against nation? and sometimes even 
the solitude of the ocean is interrupted by the dread- 
ful roar of artillery, and the shrieks and groans of 
wounded and dying seamen? Indeed, if you go 
down below, and search to the keel-stone of your 
own character, you will find that your heart is des- 
perately wicked and deceitful above all things. 

III. What remedy is there for the evil? We 
answer, it is to be found only in the redemption 
which is in Christ Jesus. The word redemption is 
often used, as a figure, to express the deliverance 
of the soul from sin; and, as there are several kinds 
of literal redemption, it becomes us to inquire what 
kind is most expressive of the sinner's salvation. 

1. Literal captives have sometimes redeemed or 
delivered themselves. Of this we might present a 



172 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

specimen, which fell in the compass of our own 
knowledge. While sailing in the north seas, an 
American merchantman was taken by a Danish 
privateer. She hastily threw a prize-master and 
crew on board, and ordered them into the first port. 
The Americans were not confined; and, as they had 
free intercourse with each other, the captain formed 
a plan to retake the vessel. He charged his men to 
be always ready, and that he would embrace the 
most favorable opportunity, and would give, as a 
signal, or watchword, " The skip's our own." Hour 
after hour rolled by, and no fair opportunity seemed 
to present itself. At last the destined port hove in 
view. The ship was rapidly nearing the harbor. 
Orders were given to overhaul the cable, and clear 
the anchor. The American ensign was hoisted 
under their national flag. The Virginia captain bit 
his lips. He cast a feveirsh glance around, and saw 
his hearts of oak at their stations, and their indig- 
nant sky-lights fastened upon him. He could stand 
no more, but bellowed out, in a voice that echoed 
from stem to stern, "The ship's our own." Some 
of the Danes, having an imperfect knowledge of 
English, understood him to say, "The ship's 
aground!" and they reiterated in their own tongue, 
"The ship's aground! the ship's aground!" These 
were luckless words; for every Dane ran to look 
over the sides. The Americans had meditated a 
bloody rescue, and had stationed a hand at the car- 
penter's chest below to supply them with deadly 
tools. Not that they had any particular spite 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 173 

against their foreign shipmates; but they were har- 
rowed up by the thought of a dreary prison. But 
when they saw the enemy standing so handy to blue 
water, they concluded to give them the most honor- 
able quietus that they supposed an honest tar could 
look for; so they tipped them over the sides, and 
gave them a launch, as they called it, into "Davy 
Jones's locker." A strong and active American, 
according to contract, gave the man at the helm a 
kind of lee-lurch and weather-roll, and sent him 
sprawling into the scuppers, dryly observing, that, 
as the ship had changed her papers, it was neces- 
sary to relieve the helm, and he believed he would 
take the first trick at the wheel. As he said this, 
he cocked his eye up to the mizzen-peak, where the 
national ensigns were taking a somerset extraordi- 
nary. Meantime, the captain spread himself, as 
large as life, on the quarter-deck, and once more 
cried out, with an untrammeled tongue, "Hard-a- 
lee, there! fore-sheet, foretop-bowline, jib, and stay- 
sail-sheet let go!" The saucy Eliza sprung at once 
into the wind's eye, and in the next moment was 
heard, "Maintop-sail haul! board tacks, and gather 
aft!" and, as she slued her spanker to the shore, the 
astonished natives, who had crowded to the beach 
to see the prize enter, beheld the bright stars and 
broad stripes of the United States flowing over the 
humbled bunting of Denmark; and you may well 
suppose that the crew was not slow in mustering 
aft, to give three cheers, and then to break loose, 
in their hearty manner, and sing in a style such 



174 The Square- Rigged Cruiser; or, 

as only sailors understand, and which I wish it were 
possible my readers could hear and feel — 

" Stretch, her off, my brave boys ; for it never shall he said 
That the sons of America -were ever yet afraid ; 

Stretch her off, my brave boys!" 

The best of all is, we have no list of the killed 
and wounded to darken the incident; for this curi- 
ous maneuver took place almost in the mouth of the 
harbor. The discharged crew, of course, took to 
their nippers, and the Eliza left them diving and 
floundering about, like a Dutch galiot in the Bay of 
Biscay. Here was an instance of captives redeem- 
ing themselves. But this is not our figure. 

No power — no human ingenuity — can redeem a 
sinner. We are aware that this is saying a great 
deal; for what is it, beside this, that human inge- 
nuity can not accomplish? See man, clothed with 
the amazing science of navigation, pushing off from 
the shores of his nativity, and, in a weak and fragile 
bark, standing out on the immense ocean; and, 
though sun, moon, and stars may not be seen for 
many days, yet he courageously wends his way over 
foaming billows, and under thundering clouds, to the 
distant port. His hand and prowess have lifted val- 
leys and leveled mountains. Distance has con- 
tracted at his touch. 

" The astonished Euxine hears the Baltic roar; 
Proud navies ride on seas that never foamed 
With daring keel before." 

And the time is not far distant, when the east and 
the west shall be spliced together, and the Atlantic 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 175 

and Pacific shall bend over our continent, and kiss 
each other. But still, there is a little sprite in man 
himself which he can not conquer. " The carnal 
mind is enmity to God; is not subject to his law; 
neither, indeed, can be." Therefore, "the tongue 
can no man tame." We have heard of man pos- 
sessing certain powers, and being supplied with cer- 
tain means by which he can wash his polluted soul; 
and multitudes upon multitudes have tried those 
washings and penances, pilgrimages and lacerations, 
witchcraft and holy water; but, in every instance, it 
has been a privateersman's wash — "three stamps 
and a damn." The deeper we plunge into human 
lustrations, the more we stir the soundings, and the 
troubled pool always casts up mire and dirt. We 
can not redeem ourselves. 

"No running brook, nor rill, nor sea, 
Can wash the dismal stain away." 

2. Sometimes captives have been recovered by 
force. When a government has been robbed of its 
subjects, if that government can command a suffi- 
cient force, it will recover its citizens by the thunder 
of its arms. We are aware that some have applied 
this figure to the case in hand. They suppose that 
the whole work of the salvation of a sinner is com- 
pulsive; and many, under the influence of this faith, 
are resting in sinful inactivity, folding their hands, 
and saying that they are waiting for the day of 
God's power, when he will sweetly force them in. 
We fear that some will thus wait for the day of his 
power, and will never realize it till they feel it in 



176 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

awful cataracts of hopeless ruin. The Lord will not 
force sinners into heaven. 

3. Captives are sometimes redeemed by ransom — • 
by a price. When a government can not recover its 
citizens by force, it will ransom them. We have an 
instance of this in the history of our own govern- 
ment. The United States frigate Philadelphia was 
stranded on the coast of Barbary, and was taken 
possession of by the enemy. Her officers and crew 
were taken into a state of bitter captivity. The 
American government put forth the strong arm of 
her power to recover them by force. A respectable 
squadron was sent into the Mediterranean, and the 
land and naval force made a considerable impression. 
It was on this occasion that Lieutenant Decatur — 
afterward Commodore Decatur — with a valiant 
boat's crew, boarded the captured frigate, cleared 
her decks of fifty of the Barbarians, and set her on 
fire, and then returned to his ship without the loss 
of a man. It is probable that, if the war had con- 
tinued, our prisoners would have been recovered by 
force. But the successful affair of Decatur so in- 
creased the cruelty of the Tripolitans toward the 
prisoners, that it was thought best to redeem them 
by ransom. Now, this is the very kind of redemp- 
tion which bears on our subject. "We are not our 
own; but we are bought with a. price — even with the 
blood of Christ, as of a lamb, without spot or blem- 
ish.'* But is it asked, "To whom was this ransom 
paid? Was the precious blood of Christ poured out 
to the devil, who had carried us captive at his will?" 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 177 

We answer, No. It is contrary to all sound theolo- 
gy to run figures to their extremities. For instance, 
Christ is called the "Lion of the tribe of Judah." 
This is to express his nobility; and particularly his 
great strength, as he only, among all the millions of 
heaven, was able to break the seals. But it would 
be doing violence to the figure, and injustice to our 
Lord, so to strain the type, as to argue that Christ 
was possessed of the ravenous and ugly qualities of 
a lion. He is also called a Lamb, in view of his in- 
nocence and atonement; but it would be wrong to 
carry out the figure, and ascribe to him the igno- 
rance and cowardice of a lamb. So there are some 
things in a literal captivity which are analogous to 
the state of a sinner, and some things which are 
not. When men are carried captive from their coun- 
try, it is done by violence, and without their consent. 
Hence, all governments feel bound to redeem them 
by all honorable means; yea, even by force if they 
can. But man was not carried captive by the devil, 
because God was unable, or unwilling to defend him. 
The captivity of the sinner was voluntary, on his 
part. As far as God was concerned, it was judicial. 
As man willingly broke his allegiance to heaven, the 
justice of God consigned him over to condemnation. 
And the blood of Christ was poured out to the im- 
maculate justice of God, "so that he might be just, 
and yet the justifier of him that believeth on Jesus." 
So far, we speak of the general redemption of Christ. 
He has redeemed man from a state of condemnation, 
and brought him into a state of grace. If man is 
12 



178 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

now lost, it will not be because of the sin of our first 
parents, but because "he believeth not" Hence, you 
find there is a distinction made, in the Scriptures, 
between general redemption, and final and eternal 
redemption. "He is the Savior of all men; but es- 
pecially of them that believe" Through the propi- 
tiation of Christ, the Holy Spirit begets within us 
good desires, and works with us when we have good 
desires. The yielding soul feels a godly sorrow on 
account of his sins. He grieves not so much on ac- 
count of the consequences of sin, though they are 
truly appalling; but he is sorry, because he has sinned 
against a God who is so good — because so much of 
his precious time has been lost; yea, worse than lost. 
Under the influence of this sorrow, he mourns sore 
like a dove; he chatters like a swallow. He believes 
on, and feels a righteous hatred of sin. Yes, he 
hates sin, although he has not yet overcome it. He 
is often 

" Slain with the same unhappy dart, 
Which, ah, too oft ! has pierced his heart." 

But he hates his own ways, and is angry with him- 
self for having grieved his Lord — for having grieved 
himself; and he prays, with Jabez, "Lord, keep me 
from sin, that it may not grieve me." His faith 
leads him to use the means of grace. He prays fer- 
vently — he offers up Christ and him crucified, as his 
morning, noon, and evening sacrifice. He says, 
"Lord, here am I: a poor, helpless, hell-deserving 
sinner; I can not turn one hair white or black; I can 
not add one cubit to my stature; here I lie, with all 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 179 

my unpardoned sins upon me. But here is my ar- 
gument; here is my sacrifice — my sin-offering — my 
Savior, who gave himself for me — my "Lamb, slain 
from the foundation of the world." 

" Tis all my hope, 'tis all my plea, 
For me the Savior died." 

And while thus engaged in all the fervor of prayer, 
his confidence brightens; power descends. He be- 
lieves on, and in the strength of mighty grace, lays 
hold by faith, on the hope set before him, and God 
absolves him; for he has already declared, that who- 
soever believeth in Jesus hath the remission of sins. 
Whom the Lord justifies, he also regenerates. Re- 
generation is a change of heart — a new creation 
wrought within, by the power of the Holy Ghost. 
This sets the heart right; and, as a consequence, 
our acts become right — that is, intentionally right. 
Our ideas become right; and, as words are signs of 
our ideas, with pure thought will come pure words. 
And thus the Lord turns a pure language upon our 
tongues, even praises to the Lord. 

The converted soul has his tongue tamed by di- 
vine grace. Hence, the apostle says, "If any man 
among you seemeth to be religious, [that is, professes 
much and is full of zeal,] and bridle th not his tongue, 
that man's religion is vain" — good for nothing. 
Again, he says, "He that bridleth his tongue, is 
able to bridle his whole body." This means, that 
nothing but divine grace can sanctify the tongue, 
and this grace can govern all our members — sanctify 
the whole man. It may also be admitted that good 



180 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

Christians, through sudden temptation, might be 
led, like Moses, to speak unadvisedly with their 
lips; but none will be more sensible of the error than 
themselves. They will betake themselves to prayer 
and confession, and cry incessantly to God till he 
restores their peace. 

Now, fellow- sinners, you who are heedless and 
high-minded, and who say, "Our tongues are our 
own; we will speak as we list; and who shall snub 
us?" will doubtless continue to steer wildly; but 
remember, there will be a reaction that will set on 
fire and burn as an oven in the day of God's wrath. 
And are you prepared for the conflict — "sharp 
arrows of the Mighty, with coals of juniper!" How 
much better would it be to begin to gather in your 
slack, by exercising repentance toward God and faith 
in our Lord Jesus Christ! But to those who sin- 
cerely desire relief at the helm, we present a bleed- 
ing Savior, who was full mighty to suffer — full good 
to redeem. His grace can bridle our ungodly tongues 
and control our souls and bodies, and preserve us 
to eternal life. O, what a blessed thing it would 
be if the tongue of every man, of every seaman, 
were corrected by grace! Then, instead of being 
found, in their watches, under the lee of the long- 
boat, telling foolish stories, and feeding their super- 
stition with tales of ghosts and hobgoblins, they 
would be found telling their religious experience and 
singing praises to God. Then, instead of hearing 
the horrid sound of blasphemy mingling with the 
awful storm, we would hear the lovely sacrifice of 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 181 

praise and thanksgiving, and the waves would be- 
come vocal with the high praises of God. 



Unruffled by the breeze, 
Beneath the cloudless sky, 

The slumb'ring and transparent seas 
Deceive the stranger's eye. 

But when the winds conspire 

To rouse the placid main, 
The restless waves with dirt and mire 

The angry surface stain; 

While o'er the troubled lake 

The foaming surges rise, 
And from the shifting bottom shake 

The soundings to the skies ; 

Just so the human face, 

In tranquil moments, can, 
With a deceitful, flattering grace, 

Adorn the outward man. 

But when corruption leads, 
And angry passions storm, 

Then sinful words and dismal deeds 
The pleasing scene deform. 

Look, O, thou bleeding Lamb, 

On mortals thus opprest, 
Convert the tempest to a calm, 

And give the sinner rest ! 



182 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 



SERMON VIII. 
Storm of Galilee. 

Oft have we thought on that frail hark, 

That cleft the waves of Galilee; 
When midnight tempests, fierce and dark, 

Poured down their wrath upon the sea. 

A precious cargo, trembling craft, 
"Was in thy narrow steerage stored ! 

The Lord himself reclined abaft, 
With all the embryo church on board. 

Was it a power malign, that woke 
The foes of man, in air, on earth, 

To sink, by one malicious stroke, 
The hopeful Gospel, at its birth? 

Or came that wild blast from above — ■ 

That storm which none but Christ could lay- 
That, wondering, we might trust, and love 
The Man whom winds and seas obey? 

Amazing Man, who, by a word, 
Can chain the tempest to the sky ! 

The angry billows under-gird, 
And dare the uplifted spray to fly ! 

And shall the winds and waves resign 
Their foaming wreaths at Jesus' feet ; 

And heaven, and sea, in silence join, 
To make the marv'lous calm complete? 

And shall our proud, disloyal race, 
Disown the Almighty's placid sway: 

Be treacherous to the God of grace — 
The God whom winds and seas obey? 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 183 

"But the men marveled, saying, What manner of man is this, 
that even the winds and the seas obey him?" Matthew vm, 27. 

In reading the Scriptures, it is of great moment 
that we understand the circumstances under which 
they were originally delivered. In the progress of 
time, many words have become materially changed 
in their definition; and if we accord to them the 
sense which they convey in modern times, we will 
be sure to err. When the modern sailor reads in his 
Bible, that "the wicked are like the troubled sea, 
whose waters cast up mire and dirt," his mind is 
embarrassed. He looks back over all his voyages 
on the Atlantic, and other seas, and can find nothing 
in his experience analogous. He has never seen 
those immense bodies of water discolored with mire 
and dirt, even in the heaviest gales. He is tempted 
to believe, that, as the prophet is so entirely at fault 
in his figure, he can not be inspired by the God who 
made the seas, and who measured out the waters, 
as with the hollow of his hands. It is, then, of some 
consequence for us to know that the word seas gen- 
erally means, in the Bible, the inland seas, or lakes, 
of Palestine. The Mediterranean was generally 
known among the Jews as the great sea. Now, those 
lakes, in calm and pleasant weather, were exceed- 
ingly clear; but when the storm was up, the waters 
became dark and turbid. 

It is necessary, then, in the elucidation of our 
subject, to remember that the sea, on which Christ 
and his disciples had embarked, was a very small 



184 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

sea — a lake. It is also necessary for us to have a 
right understanding of the ship in which they sailed. 
When we read of ships, we are apt to associate with 
the term, the idea of the heavy merchantman, at 
at least, of our day. This would lead us entirely 
astray in the present case. The art of ship-building 
was but in its infancy, in the time of our Lord's in- 
carnation, and especially in nations which were not 
of a commercial order. Indeed, the word "ship," 
no farther back than the days of Columbus, meant 
much less than what it does now. In our school-boy 
days, we labored under a gross deception, in reading 
of the discovery of America. Columbus was pre- 
sented to us as a great admiral, with an imposing 
squadron under his command, launching forth on the 
unmeasured waters of the west. The terms used, 
the almost insurmountable difficulties, and the ex- 
pense incurred in fitting out his fleet, in connection 
with our modern view of things, induced us to sup- 
pose that his ships were tolerably adapted to such 
an important enterprise. But, by subsequent and 
close investigation, we have found that they were 
most miserable shallops. Some of them were en- 
tirely destitute of decks. Others had a kind of a 
locker in the bows, and a half-deck abaft; while all 
amidships was exposed. Only one or two in the 
fleet enjoyed the luxury of a deck, fore and aft; and 
although they kept well south, yet it seems to be a 
Divine mercy that they lived across the seas. If 
these were the best ships that commercial Spain 
could afford, at that time, to make discoveries in the 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 185 

ends of the earth, what might we look for in more 
remote ages? We find, on one occasion, a ship that 
was under the control of the disciples, was so small 
that it was endangered by a heavy draught of fishes. 
It is very probable that the ship mentioned in our 
context, was nothing more than a fishing-smack. 
The sea was small, the ship was small, and the crew 
was small. The crew was not so small in regard to 
number: they were sufficient to man a merchantman 
of ordinary size, in our day. We mean, they were 
small, as it regards their knowledge of seamanship — 
they were fresh- water sailors; but still they were the 
sailors proper, of God's chosen nation. And this 
consideration ought to fill sailors, of all ages, with 
an abiding consolation. Our Savior commenced his 
mission on the sea-shore. He frequently preached 
on board the little ships of that day. He selected 
from the lakes his first ministers. This, doubtless, 
astonished the Jerusalem Church. Its dignitaries 
were ready to say, "If this were the true Messiah, 
would he not select his ministers from our schools, 
where we are training young men of noble families 
expressly for the ministry? But see, he is drawing 
his disciples from the seas." And if the Lord chose 
such instruments to commence the work, is it not 
reasonable to suppose that he will use, to a consider- 
able extent, seamen, in shedding the latter-day glory 
over the earth? And who, with the grace of God, 
would be better qualified? Their daily business, 
their proper avocation, draws them to every clime. 
When, as a mass, they become deeply imbued with 



186 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

the spirit of their Master, in every port they would 
fling out their bethel-flag on the winds; and the 
heathen would fall before the purity of their lives, 
and acknowledge the Lord in the midst of his golden 
candlesticks. We believe that the latter-day glory 
is not far off ; we believe the night is far spent, and 
the day is at hand. 

When the disciples, on a certain occasion, were in 
deep affliction, it is said, "And in the fourth watch 
of the night, Jesus went unto them, walking on the 
sea.'* For several ages, the poor sailor has had it 
to say, "No man cares for my soul!" In large and 
splendid cities, on the sea-board — cities built up on 
the sweat, and tears, and blood, and dying groans of 
seamen — the merchant, who had fattened on their 
labor and their lives, would pass them by like the 
beasts of the field. But God is waking up an inter- 
est for them. Bethels are built, chaplains are sent, 
tracts are distributed, and Jesus is walking triumph- 
antly on the seas, and lakes, and rivers, and saying 
to the disconsolate sailor, "Be not afraid; it is If" 
Yes, the unchangeable pilot — the conqueror of stormy 
Galilee! 

When we represent the sea, the ship, and the crew, 
as being small, we do not mean to show that the 
danger, humanly speaking, was small, or to detract 
from the miracle. On the contrary, these circum- 
stances increased the danger, and consequently 
magnified the miracle. Any experienced sailor, 
who has traversed our western lakes, knows that, in 
extra storms, they are more dangerous than the open 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 187 

ocean, where there is more ample searoom. The 
smallness of the vessel, in which the whole Christian 
Church had embarked, with our Savior, increased 
the danger, speaking after the manner of men; for 
we must remember, that while the works of men — 
ship-building, etc. — are susceptible of vast improve- 
ment, the works of God are the same in all ages. 
The storm that fell on the lake was, doubtless, as 
terrific, the lightning flashed as fierce, the thunder 
pealed as loud, and the wind swept as resistless, as 
in modern times. All hope of being saved was 
taken away. 

Even the consideration of their having put out at 
the command of Christ, and their being exactly in 
the path of duty, did not seem to yield them that 
comfort which might have been expected. Just so 
it is, often, with Christians in our day. Sometimes 
when they engage in pious enterprises, evidently 
obeying the openings of divine Providence, if circum- 
stances seem to be adverse — if Providence appears 
to frown, they are too apt to become discouraged, 
and to forget that they are in the way of duty. "We 
might illustrate this by a simple fact. Some years 
since, the way was opened to establish a mission in 
Africa. As fast as we sent out our missionaries, 
they took the fevers of the country and died. Our 
Church, generally, became discouraged, and were 
ready to say, "The time — the set time to favor Af- 
rica, is not yet come; or, if it is come, the Lord will 
not send by us." But just then the pious and devo- 
ted Cox fell at his post. But, as he was surrounded 



188 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

with weeping friends, he whispered with a faint, 
but firm voice, "Let a hundred missionaries fall, but 
let Africa be redeemed." The Church caught the 
watchword. It ran all along her decks, from stem 
to taffrail. The old ship Zion sprung her luff, and 
bounded on with increasing speed. Interior tribes 
and nations are now spreading out their hands, and 
exclaiming in tears, "0, send us the God-man, that 
he may show to us the way of salvation!" How 
appropriate is the language of the Christian poet, in 
all such cases: 

"Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take; 
The clouds ye so much dread 
Are big with mercy, and shall break 
In blessings on your head. 

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, 

But trust him for his grace ; 
Behind a frowning providence 

He hides a smiling face." 

The disciples, however, in their deep distress, re- 
posed some confidence in Christ, and, calling on him 
rather rudely, said, "Master, carest thou not that 
we perish?" How much was this like their fathers, 
who, in their distress, said to Moses, "Were 
there no graves in Egypt, that thou hast brought us 
out into the wilderness to perish?" The Savior 
arose, and looking, we fancy, mildly on the flashing 
clouds, and foaming surges, and wild misrule that 
raved around, he said, with all the majesty and dig- 
nity of a God, "Peace! be still!" In a moment the 
tempest fled, and the angry billows crouched at his 
feet, and there was a great calm. This was no 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 189 

gradual cessation of the gale. In such a case, the 
troubled waves would have rolled for hours. But 
the Lord spake to the clouds and to the seas, in all 
their rage of tempest, and turned the storm itself 
into a fearful calm. 

And the men marveled. 

I. They marveled at the miracle: " The winds and 
the seas obey him." They, doubtless, felt that it 
was the greatest miracle that Christ ever wrought. 
With the Lord, one miracle can not be greater than 
another. The reason why the disciples marveled so 
greatly at this miracle, was because they were so 
deeply and personally interested in it. They had seen 
him open the eyes of the blind, and the blind mar- 
veled greatly; but theyhad never been blind; they had 
never experienced that state of loneliness and desti- 
tution. They had seen him raise the dead; but they 
had never been confined to the dampness of the 
grave. This miracle was for their own deliverance. 
They were hovering over the deeps of eternity, an 
inch-plank between them and death, when Christ, by 
a sudden subversion of the laws of nature, snatched 
them from a watery grave. Even so it is now; an 
individual will greatly marvel at some special deliv- 
erance which he has experienced, while others will 
hardly have patience to hear him tell it. Again: 
some will laud the mercy of God, because he has 
saved them through a dreadful storm; while others, 
who have had a fair passage, scarcely think of his 
mercy, though they have been the recipients of 
larger benevolence. Surely, it is more merciful and 



190 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

benevolent to save us from a storm than to save us 
in a storm. 

II. They marveled at his character: "Behold 
what manner of man is this!" And well they might 
wonder. True, he is a man — very man; yet is he 
unlike all other men who have been, or ever will be. 

1. He was not defiled with original sin. He was 
not born in the sinful likeness of Adam. He was 
not of him by lineal descent. Our Savior himself 
asked the Jews why they called Christ the Son of 
David, when David says, in the book of Psalms, 
" The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit on my right hand 
until I make thine enemies my footstool." "If 
David called him Lord," said he, "how then is he 
his son?" It is true that his virgin mother was of 
the house of David; but the Holy Ghost came upon 
her, and the power of the Most High overshadowed 
her, and that holy One, who was born of her, was 
called the Son of God. As it regards all other men, 
they are conceived in sin and born in iniquity — 

" Sprung from the man, whose guilty fall 
Corrupts his race, and taints us all." 

2. He was clear of actual transgression. To this 
point we have the testimony of his friends — inspired 
friends. They say he was holy, pure, undefiled, 
and separate from sinners. He had done no vio- 
lence; neither was any guile found in his mouth. 
Pontius Pilate entered into a strict examination of 
his character; and, although he would have been 
pleased to have found something in him worthy of 
death, according to the Roman law — for Pilate loved 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 191 

popularity — yet he was compelled, by a sense of jus- 
tice, to render a favorable verdict: " I find no fault 
in this man." Yes; Christ is the only perfect exam- 
ple, as a man, that is given us in the Bible. True, 
there is mention made, in that blessed volume, of 
some of whom the world was not worthy. The 
Lord passes a high encomium on Moses, when he 
says, "He was meek above all men;" but Moses is 
not a safe exemplar, because he sinned in offending 
the Lord at the waters of Meribah, and God declared 
that he should not enter into Canaan. Again: 
David was said to be a man after God's own heart. 
This was his general character; but the Holy Spirit 
makes an exception in the case of Uriah. When 
we come down to the New Testament, who does not 
admire the frankness and zeal of Peter? Yet, on 
one occasion, he denied the Lord who bought him, 
and swore like a privateer's man, to convince the 
enemies of Christ that he knew not the man. It is 
of Christ only that it can be truly said, that "we 
find no fault in this man." He only is our pattern — 
our standard. The proper measure of a perfect 
man is the fullness of the stature of Christ Jesus in 
his faultless humanity. But where is the man, born 
of Adam, who has no actual sins — no personal and 
willful transgressions? 

3. He is different from other men, inasmuch as he 
was not naturally subject to death. Death had no 
dominion over him. He was made according to the 
power of an endless life. He said himself, a little 
before his crucifixion, " No man taketh my life from 



192 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

me. I have power to lay it down, and I have power 
to take it up again; and this power have I received 
from my Father." There was an extraordinary 
power necessary to separate his soul and body. The 
circumstances of his crucifixion coincide with this 
doctrine. When he had fulfilled all that was written 
of him, he cried out, with a loud voice, and gave up 
the ghost. It was not the feeble voice of human 
expiration; but he cried so loud that the Roman 
officer acknowledged him to be the Son of God. 
Some of our commentators have it, "He dismissed 
his spirit." All other men are subject to death. 
By one man's disobedience sin came into the world, 
and death by sin; and so death hath passed upon 
all men. And why? Because all have sinned. 
But Christ never sinned; therefore, it was necessary 
for him to receive power to lay down his life. 
Again: we might ask, how came it to pass that the 
criminals lived longer than Christ? They were 
sinking by natural exhaustion. Some lived on the 
cross for several days. The breaking of their legs 
was intended to hasten their death. It is also ex- 
pressly said, that when the body of Christ was 
requested of Pilate, "he marveled if he were already 
dead." It was so unusual for one to die so soon by 
crucifixion, that Pilate sent for the centurion to assure 
himself of the fact before granting the request. 
Christ dismissed his spirit. As the cork is forced, 
by some foreign power, many a fathom below the 
surface of the deep, and, as soon as that force is 
removed, bounds, by its own buoyancy, to the light, 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 193 

so did our blessed Redeemer force himself into the 
dark domains of death; and, on the glorious morning 
of the third day, he arose, in the strength and power 
of his own divinity, to a newness of life. It is true 
that the Jews, as far as their intention and malice 
were concerned, did slay the Lord of life and glory; 
but, as far as Christ was concerned, he did emphat- 
ically give himself for us. He offered up himself. 

4. He was diverse from other men, because he 
was a God-man — a Divine personage. In him dwelt 
all the fullness of the Godhead, bodily. It is a suf- 
ficient evidence of his divinity, that the "winds and 
the seas obey him;*' for when did the winds and the 
seas ever harken to the voice of a mere man? Men 
have been so presumptuous and impudent as to make 
the experiment, but have signally failed. The idi- 
otic and inflated Xerxes, when heading an army suf- 
ficient to populate a new world, flew into a transport 
of passion, because a storm prevented him crossing 
an arm of the sea; and he ordered chains and fetters 
to be cast into the sea, and decreed that she should 
receive a severe flogging for crossing his great de- 
signs. But while his officers were executing the 
sentence, the sportive billows still clapped their 
foaming hands, as if in derision, and the laughing 
winds flirted the spoon-drift in his face. 

Inspired men have performed miracles on water, 
in the name and by the command of God. When 
the Israelites were pursued by the Egyptians, and 
were hemmed in on every side, Moses, at the com- 
mand of Heaven, stood on the shore of the Red 
13 



194 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

Sea, and calmed the tumult of the people, by saying, 
"Stand still, and see the salvation of God!" The 
salvation of God. But our Savior invoked no name: 
"Peace, be still!" and straight "air, sea, and ship 
were hushed at once." 

Indeed, all insentient and unintelligent creation 
obey the Lord. The planets, in their courses and 
revolutions, instinctive animals, and winds and seas, 
fulfill his high designs. They not only do so by 
strict obedience to the general laws of nature, as 
some are pleased to say, who are too proud or too 
modest to make mention of the Lord, but they some- 
times miraculously obey, by stepping aside from their 
ordinary course. 

In the first miracle which our Lord wrought, we 
have a remarkable instance of prompt obedience in 
a senseless element. When his mother informed 
him that the wine had failed, he commanded the 
servants to fill the jars with water; and, as he 
told them to draw and bear to the governor of the 
feast, the limpid and tasteless water blushed into the 
most delicious wine. Here we must be allowed a 
digression. It is well known that dissipated charac- 
ters, and those who are fond of their cups, exult 
greatly in the fact that our Lord exerted his almighty 
power in making wine. Let it be remembered that 
the wine which our Savior made was a pure article — 
the best wine, as the wedding guests aptly called it. 
It was the pure and unfermented juice of the grapes, 
which was esteemed, by the Jews, as the best kind 
of wine. This must be so, in the very nature of 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 195 

things. God is perfect, and when he creates things 
he creates them perfect. At the close of the crea- 
tion-week, he pronounced all that he had made 
"good." No man supposes that there were old 
stumps or rotten trunks to be found in the forests. 
No man supposes that man and beast were infected 
with distempers. Such an idea would cast a reflec- 
tion on the Almighty. Now, fermented or intoxi- 
cating liquor is in an imperfect state. Decomposi- 
tion or corruption has begun. Men may arrest the 
liquor, in this state, to serve their lusts; but it is 
highly unreasonable to suppose that Christ made 
wine in this vitiated or spoiled state. In wine coun- 
tries, great pains are taken to preserve the juice of 
the grape in its unadulterated state; and it is not 
only called wine, but, by sober people, the best 
wine. However, we bring this case to show how 
water obeys the Lord. 

In another case our Lord was obeyed by a Jig 
tree. One morning he saw a fig tree by the way- 
side. Its foliage was luxuriant and green, and Christ 
sought fruit on it, but found none. He knew, in- 
deed, before he sought; but he made this an occa- 
sion to instinct his disciples, and to show them the 
power of faith. Finding no fruit, he said, "No man 
eat fruit of this tree, hereafter, forever and ever!" 
At this Divine command, given to the fig tree, in all 
the meridian of its verdure, it yielded up its vitality, 
root, trunk, and branches, and withered away. 

Our Lord exercised a like control over the brute 
creation. When making his triumphant entry into 



196 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

Jerusalem, his disciples brought him an ass. We 
are expressly told that it was an unbroken animal, 
on which no man had ever set. Although it was an 
exciting and tumultuous time, the whole multitude, 
going before and following after, clapping their 
hands, waving their branches, and crying, "Ho- 
sanna to the son of David, who cometh in the name 
of the Lord!" yet did this untamed, unbridled ani- 
mal carefully carry our Savior through the convulsed 
city and shouting multitude — "for the whole city was 
moved" — even to the gates of the temple. 

The fish that brought the tribute money to Peter, 
as well as the multitude that were afterward taken 
in the net, obeyed the Lord. Our text says that the 
"winds and the seas obeyed him." 

III. There are several important doctrines which 
might be advantageously viewed in the light of our 
subject. 

1 . The will of man. We do not say the freedom 
of the will, although that erroneous expression, in 
theology, has been almost canonized by the consent 
of ages. 

The reason why the planets, and all the heavenly 
bodies, and the winds obey the Lord, is because they 
are compelled by the sovereign power of God. He 
has established laws of attraction and repulsion, 
which they can not resist. Hence, they render an 
unceasing and strict obedience; they never err. If 
men were governed in this way, they, too, would 
render a faultless obedience, because all their 
thoughts and acts would be under the Divine 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 197 

control. But, seeing that there are some men who 
obey God, and some "who obey him not, we readily 
conclude that man is a free agent. 

Those who take it for granted that there is a strict 
agreement between God's government in the province 
of nature and his rule in the kingdom of grace, are 
greatly in fault. They argue loosely, and irrespect- 
ive of sound logic, who say, that because the Lord, 
in the exercise of his sovereignty, rains on one por- 
tion of the earth, and abandons another to drought, 
therefore, he pours the blessing of salvation on one 
man, and the fire of his wrath upon another. These 
two departments of God's work are entirely distinct 
in their character and destiny. The one is material 
and perishing, the other moral and immortal. It 
would be as contrary to the economy of Heaven, to 
govern man by force, as to govern the winds and 
the seas by the ten commandments. All the com- 
mandments, precepts, doctrines, promises, and 
threatenings, of the Bible, go on the supposition 
that man possesses the fearful power of choice, as 
far as is necessary to his salvation. It is true, the 
Lord does curb his will, and restrain his wrath, to 
subserve his own purposes. 

2. In the light of our subject, we see the neces- 
sity of the judgment day. If we were governed as 
the winds and the seas, by irresistible power, there 
would be no propriety in our being called into judg- 
ment. If a preacher should go through the country, 
proclaiming that, on a certain day, the Lord would 
call to judgment the "winds and seas," and bring 



198 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

them to an account for all the mischief they have 
done — for their wholesale murders and wanton de- 
struction of property, would not the people gener- 
ally regard him as a madman? What! sit in judg- 
ment on the senseless elements, for doing what they 
were compelled to do? 

But when we preach that God has appointed a 
day in which he will sit in judgment on the human 
family, it recommends itself to every man's judg- 
ment and conscience, in the sight of God. All hu- 
man legislation is founded on the supposition, that 
offenders could have done otherwise. The discipline 
of all Churches recognize this truth. And surely 
there is a necessity for a judgment to come. There 
are many deep-hidden crimes, which no human laws, 
civil or ecclesiastical, can reach. A man may se- 
cretly defraud the orphan of his rights, and that 
orphan suffer extraordinary evils through life, as a 
consequence; and yet the unpunished monster may 
even push into the sanctuary of the Lord, and put 
on "the livery of a saint, to serve the devil in." 
Yes, there must be a grand court of equity, where 
God himself will right all the wrongs that have been 
unjustly inflicted on the unfortunate. 

3. The doctrine of rewards may be boldly asserted 
in the light of our subject. What rational man 
would think of rewarding, or inflicting punishment, 
on the winds and the waves? When the first steam- 
packet from Europe arrived in America, would it 
not have been ridiculously absurd for the citizens to 
have inarched in procession, and put a crown upon 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 199 

her prow, inviting her to a splendid entertainment, 
as a reward for having crossed the Atlantic on a new 
principle? We do not say that eternal Power could 
not force man into heaven. But in that case, would 
it bring any happiness to man, or glory to God? It 
might be said, " Ye are all here; but how came ye 
here?" and it might be answered — if souls thus 
cramped could answer — " because we could not help 
it." How different from this will it be, when the 
whole redeemed, free Church of Jesus Christ shall 
voluntarily and joyfully exclaim, "Unto him who 
hath loved us, and washed us from our sins, in his 
own blood, be glory, and honor, and dominion for- 
ever and ever! Amen." 

The winds, the seas, the planets, and the brute 
creation, obey God; but in the midst of all this har- 
mony of obedience, and concert of loyalty, the sin- 
ner — man, rebels against his God! It may be said, 
"Yes, but they are compelled to obey God." True, 
but there lies the burning shame. Man is the only 
creature on earth, who has the exalted privilege of 
obeying God with a glad heart, and with a willing 
mind; but, alas! he is the only one who rebels. 

This is the more humbling, when we reflect that 
the sinner, by obeying God, and believing on him, 
with a heart to righteousness, would come under 
the influence of a power as divine as that which 
moves the planets, even the sweet power of grace, 
which is as coercive as the attributes of God, the 
plan of salvation, and the moral agency of man will 
admit of. 



200 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

4. If the winds and the seas obey Christ, with 
what confidence may we address a throne of grace 
and mercy in storms and times of imminent dan- 
ger! The most pleasant passage I ever had, was in 
a trip from New York to Orleans. The passengers 
were mostly religious; and we had prayers on board 
regularly, morning and night. On the Sabbath, we 
assembled in the steerage, read one of Wesley's ser- 
mons, and closed with devotional exercises. We 
had fair winds and smooth seas all the way, and 
made an extraordinarily short passage. Indeed, it 
seemed as if we had every thing which we asked 
for. Many have, in answer to prayer, been saved 
from shipwreck. We do not mean that God will 
always save his children from disasters, in answer 
to prayer. The Lord might choose to remove his 
people sometimes by storms, as well as by diseases. 

"A thousand ways has Providence 
To bring believers home." 

But we should be resigned, if it be God's will, to 
gather our sea-weeds around us, and sink upon our 
coral-bed. In death's last struggle, let us remem- 
ber that the winds and the seas must obey him; 
and that the hour is coming, in which he will com- 
mand the mighty ocean to give up her dead. She 
will obey, and roll her millions to the shore. 



There's not a thing beneath the concave sky, 
The sparkling arch of earth's vast canopy, 
But what is governed, or directed by 
The unerring power of the Deity. 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 201 

The twinkling stars, which in such beauty roll 

Their blazing splendors o'er either pole, 

And, with an anxious trembling, seem to guard 

A slumbering hemisphere — a dreaming ward, 

Are, by attractive and repulsive force, 

Confined to one, perpetual, circling course : 

Yet Heaven's established laws provide them room, 

And world with world in contact can not come, 

Or with a loose, digressive reel, invade 

The smallest satellite that God has made. 

The fowls of heaven their smallest duties eye — 

Can raise their young — can teach them how to fly. 

The ox his owner knows, and with him shares 

The toil and produce of revolving years. 

The heavens and seas in angry conflict meet ; 

Christ speaks ! they crouch and fondle at his feet. 

And shall proud man, who, through God's mercy, plies 

The loftiest intellect beneath the skies — 

Who bears Jehovah's likeness, and can will 

To choose the good, and to reject the ill — 

Shall he, alone, in wild rebellion rise, 

And dare the God who rules the seas and skies? 

No : let him rather bend his adverse will, 

And calm his soul, when Jesus says, "Be still!" 



BY CHARLES WESLEY. 

Glory to thee, whose powerful word 
Bids the tempestuous winds arise ; 

Glory to thee, the sov'reign Lord 
Of air, and earth, and seas, and skies. 

Let air, and earth, and skies obey, 
And seas thine awful will perform: 

From them we learn to own thy sway, 
And shout to meet the gathering storm. 

"What though the floods lift up their voice ! 

Thou hearest, Lord, our louder cry; 
They can not damp thy children's joys, 

Or shake the soul when God is nigh. 



202 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

Headlong we cleave the yawning deep, 
And back to highest heaven are borne, 

Unmoved, thongh rapid whirlwinds sweep. 
And all the watery world upturn. 

Roar on, ye waves ; our souls defy 
Your roaring to disturb our rest ; 

In vain to break the calm ye try — 
The calm in the believer's breast. 

Rage, while our faith the Savior tries, 
Thou sea, the servant of his will; 

Rise, while our God permits thee, rise ; 
But fall, when he shall say, " Be still !" 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 203 



SERMON IX. 

SOULWRECK. 

Deceitful is the breeze, 

And placid is the swell ; 
Strong is the current, smooth the seas, 

That lead to death and hell. 

We need not crowd our sail, 

Nor labor to go wrong ; 
The wind and current will not fail 

To drive our barks along. 

But when we shape our course 
For heaven's delightful shores, 

We then begin to feel the force 
Of wind and water foes. 

Our nature's rapid stream 

Augments its mighty force, 
While all the powers of darkness seem 

To stretch athwart our course. 

Our stormy passions blow; 

Our fairest prospects frown ; 
While winds aloft and waves below 

Conspire to bear us down. 

But we who do oppose 

The tempest and the tide, 
At last shall weather all our foes, 

And every gale outride. 

We'll soon the current leave, 

And softer breezes find ; 
We'll all our stud-sail halyards reeve, 

And scud before the wind. 

The service of the Lord 

Will then be our delight, 
While Christ himself will come on board, 

And Canaan heave in sight. 



204 The Square- Rigged Cruiser; or, 

"Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put 
away concerning faith have made shipwreck," 1 Tim. i, 19. 

It is a very easy thing for souls to travel to de- 
struction. When a ship has the wind and current 
setting toward the place of her destination, it is 
quite easy sailing. She need not crowd much can- 
vas; for, if every sail was furled, and she laid under 
bare poles, the wind and current would bear her 
along, so that, in process of time, she would reach 
her port. Thus it is with the wicked. They need 
not crowd sail, as though greedy of ruin. They need 
not heap up wrath against the day of wrath, by 
indulging in extraordinary crimes. If they only 
fold their arms, and lie upon their oars, and do noth- 
ing at all, they will drift swiftly down the current 
of- human depravity to hell, as fast as all the deceit- 
fulness of the devil can waft them along. It is a 
more difficult task to sail heavenward. When a 
ship has both the tide and wind in her teeth, she 
will have to brace sharp up and beat hard. The 
children of God have to stem the powerful tide of 
natural depravity. They have to fight and cut their 
passage through all the fleet of hell. Sometimes 
their nearest friends desert, and their enemies unite 
against them. Hence, our Savior says, "Strive to 
enter in," and, "The kingdom of heaven suffers 
violence, and the violent take it by force." A num- 
ber of vessels may sail for the same port; and, 
although they may all work by the same rules, and 
use the same kind of instruments of navigation, yet 
the history of their respective voyages may be 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 205 

widely different. One may enjoy a fair and unin- 
terrupted breeze throughout the whole passage, and 
may meet with no disaster to darken the pages of 
her log-book. Another may be harassed with a 
succession of calms and light and variable winds. 
Another may drive through storms and calamities 
the most distressing, and arrive at last, almost a 
perfect wreck. Some may fall in with pirates and 
enemies, or be reduced almost to starvation, while 
others may make a voyage which will be equally 
checkered with prosperity and adversity. So it is 
with Christians. They all sail from the shores of 
depravity, laden with grace, and bound, for glory. 
They all exercise evangelical repentance, and, 
through faith, receive the remission of sins. They 
are all washed and sanctified by the blood of the 
cross; enjoy the same sacraments; follow the same 
chart — the Holy Bible — use the same means of 
grace; and, although some may carry, as a private 
signal, the jack of Wesley, and some the jack of 
Calvin, yet, blessed be God! they all have the ensign 
of Christ nailed to the peak; and while they steer 
for the same harbor, the pennant of the merciful 
Jehovah waves over all. But, notwithstanding, be- 
fore they arrive at the destined port, there will be a 
wonderful diversity in their experience. Some may 
run down the pleasant trade-winds of grace, while 

"Not a cloud may arise to darken the skies, 
Or hide, for a moment, the Lord from their eves." 

Others may have a passage of storms and tempta- 
tions, or pine away in poverty and short allowance, 



206 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

and reach home by the hardest struggle. Others, 
again, robbed and scathed by the sharks and pirates 
of hell, may come booming in, under storm-stay- 
sails, almost bereft of rigging, sails, and mast; but 
better enter heaven stripped and dismantled than to 
founder by the way! However diversified our expe- 
rience may be, it is generally the case that, in a voy- 
age to heaven, we may expect hard toiling at first. 
But as we grow in grace, and advance to windward, 
the current will seem to set weaker, because we will 
have more grace. Sometimes we will catch a favor- 
able flaw, which will enable us to make a consid- 
erable stretch for the kingdom; and presently we 
will get the complete weather-guage, strike the 
wholesome line of holiness, and square our yards, 
and up helm for endless bliss. Then we will expe- 
rience that "the service of the Lord is perfect 
freedom." 

But, although the way to heaven may become 
thus delightful, we must observe there is danger of 
"shipwreck." So says our text. 

I. Some of the common causes of shipwreck. 

1. Vessels are sometimes lost at sea, in conse- 
quence of not taking in a sufficiency of ballast, or 
because the ballast is of a spurious character. We 
would have been cast away ourself once, on this 
account, if it had not been for the timely aid of a 
British man-of-war. We had taken in a kind of 
sand ballast, and, although it was damp, yet it 
seemed to be solid and compact. We had run a 
considerable distance on our voyage up the North 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 207 

Sea, when we were overtaken by a gale. In the 
midst of the storm it was discovered that the sand 
had become, in a great measure, liquefied. It was 
truly awful, by the lights of our nickering lamps 
below, to see the muddy surges sweeping fore and 
aft, as if in horrid imitation of the tempest raging 
without. The captain stooped down and surveyed 
the sickening scene awhile, and my young heart 
trembled when I saw his firmness give way, the 
tears gush from his eyes, and heard him exclaim, in 
a subdued and humble tone, " God have mercy upon 
us!" We hoisted a signal of distress, and bore 
away. Happily a sloop-of-war came to our rescue, 
threw nearly all her crew on board, and, after a hard 
day's work, we succeeded in establishing shifting 
boards, and compressing the miry mass, so as to 
be able to reach the port. Ships have sometimes 
sailed with too little ballast, and have sailed well for 
a season; but, when suddenly and unexpectedly 
struck by a squall, they have capsized, and all on 
board have perished. So, many souls have started 
for heaven; but because they have carried too much 
sail for their ballast — too much zeal for their relig- 
ion — they have been cast away. Perhaps we might 
more properly say, they had not too much zeal; for 
it is right to be " zealously affected in a good cause;" 
but they had not enough grace, enough humble, 
holy love, to ballast and stay their souls on God in 
perfect peace; or their religion was of a spurious, 
muddy character; and soon the world, the flesh, or 
the devil sprung a squall, and they, being naturally 



208 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

crank or top-heavy, capsized, and were foundered. 
If a captain has not had an opportunity of procuring 
a sufficient supply of ballast, he may be blameless, 
although he may perish for want of it. But if pro- 
fessors of religion are cast away for want of grace, 
they can not be guiltless in the sight of God; for he 
has opened an inexhaustible fountain of mercy and 
grace on earth, and has exhorted us to come with 
boldness to a throne of grace, and find grace and 
mercy to answer in every time of need. If we per- 
ish in view of all God's mercies, who will hold us 
innocent? 

2. Ships are sometimes lost through ignorance. 
The captain is ignorant either of the theory or prac- 
tice of navigation, or of both. He assumes the 
command full of restlessness and conceit. He 
presses on in his erroneous course, crying peace and 
safety in his heart, till he suddenly — perhaps at the 
awful hour of midnight — strikes on some reef or 
unknown shore, and is lost or wrecked forever. 
Perhaps the most fruitful source of apostasy is igno- 
rance. If our ignorance arises from circumstances 
over which we could have no control, the Lord will 
pity us, and perfect all that is wanting. But there 
are too many who are willingly ignorant. There are 
too many who despise knowledge, if they do not 
advocate the abhorrent doctrine, that "ignorance is 
the mother of devotion." They forget that the 
Lord has commanded, "Add to your virtue knowl- 
edge;" "Grow in grace and in the knowledge of the 
Lord." The Christian should certainly be well 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 209 

stored with all Biblical knowledge. The character 
of God, natural and moral; the purity of his law; 
the depravity of the human heart; the devices of 
Satan; the doctrines, the commandments, the pre- 
cepts, the promises, and threatenings of the Almighty, 
are all clearly taught in the inspired volume. Again: 
the Christian should make himself acquainted with 
the notes and commentaries of pious and learned 
men, who, in consequence of their knowledge of the 
original languages, and manners and customs of the 
east, can sometimes throw a flood of light on pas- 
sages of Scripture which otherwise might appear 
dark and mysterious to us. We will also be ben- 
efited by reading the lives, experience, and jour- 
nals of pious men and holy women, who have gone 
before us. When expeditions for discovery are fitted 
out, and ships are about to navigate strange seas, 
how careful are all on board to furnish themselves 
with the travels and voyages of those who have 
gone before them! Sometimes, by this means, they 
are enabled to take warning, and escape many blun- 
ders and even fatal errors. How many have been 
made cautious and provident by the fate of the un- 
fortunate Cook, and have saved themselves from a 
cruel massacre! We are assured, from heaven, that 
no temptation shall overtake us but what has been 
common with the children of God. Therefore, it is 
highly edifying to trace their voyage through life, 
and follow them as they have followed Christ. The 
above knowledge we hold to be absolutely necessary 
to make good headway. But again: it is the privilege 
14 



210 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

of saints to study all kinds of useful and virtuous 
knowledge. The arts and sciences have been con- 
cocted by divine Wisdom, in the council of the ador- 
able Trinity, and are intended for the study of man- 
kind; and, if so, especially for Christians; for all 
things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos, life or 
death — all are yours; and you are Christ's, and 
Christ is God's. So, where time and opportunity 
may admit, the door of knowledge stands wide 
open, day and night. There are some, however, 
who hate wisdom, and neglect to fortify themselves 
even with theological information, and presently 
they fall in with some pirate of hell, some smooth- 
tongued sinner, or some worthless pamphlet that has 
been silenced and forgotten long since by intelligent 
men, and the poor, electrified ignoramus is scuttled 
on the spot, destroyed, and sunk forever. 

3. Some are cast away by neglecting to watch, or 
to keep a bright look-out. It is common, on board 
our merchantmen, to have the crew divided into two 
watches — the starboard and larboard. One watch 
remains on deck for four consecutive hours, to work 
the vessel, while the other watch is permitted to 
sleep below; and so alternately. It is the business 
of the officer who has charge, to caution the watch 
to keep a bright look-out. Sometimes this is neg- 
lected. The watch becomes careless; especially 
under fair skies and in smooth seas. The men 
huddle under the lee of the long-boat, and begin to 
tell stories and sing old songs; or, having spun their 
yarns, they pile together, with their heads under 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 211 

their wings, and begin to make the land of Nod; 
and it sometimes happens — perhaps in the dark and 
solemn mid-watch — that the ship strikes on some 
iron-bound coast, or runs foul of some other sail, 
and is wrecked into a thousand pieces. 

Christ especially commands his men to "watch." 
" Watch and pray lest you enter into temptation; 
and what I say to you, [my apostles,] I say unto 
all, [all my people, throughout all ages,] watch!" 
There are good reasons why we should watch. We 
have enemies to watch against — pirates. We have 
to watch against the allurements of the world — a 
wicked and a deceitful world — a world that will 
promise more in one hour than she will fulfill in an 
age. She will point you to vain, and idle, and sinful 
amusements, and would persuade you that they can 
satisfy an immortal soul. And should you take her 
at her word, and 

" Could you stretch your arms like seas, 
And grasp in all the shore," 

you would still be a miserable and damned spirit; 
for Jesus has said, "What is a man profited if he 
should gain the whole world and lose his own soul?" 
We have to watch, also, against the temptations of 
the flesh — an enemy more formidable than the world, 
because we are more closely connected with it. The 
brightest saints and apostles in glory had once to 
watch this enemy. Paul says, "I strive to keep my 
body under, lest, after having preached to others, I 
myself might become a castaway." If such strict 
vigilance was necessary in the green tree — in the 



212 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

pristine days of Christianity, and under circum- 
stances of heavenly inspiration — how much more 
necessary now, in these degenerate times! Brethren, 
watch against this insidious foe — an enemy who may 
sometimes meet you, arrayed in all the charms of 
beauty — in all the glow of apparent innocence. 

"But be greatly cautious of your sliding hearts; 
Beneath those beauteous smiles, belying heaven, 
Lurk searchless cunning, cruelty, and death." 

We do not say, fight; for, in the estimation of an 
inspired apostle, retreat here is glorious victory; for 
he says, "Flee youthful lusts that war against the 
soul." We have to watch against the devil — an 
enemy who may meet you at all times and in all 
places. He will pursue you even to the very altar 
of God; for when the sons of God came together, 
on a certain occasion, Satan came, also, among 
them. To throw you off your guard here, some 
of his human agents will undertake to persuade you 
that he is only an imaginary character. They will 
say persons all over the world complain of his tempt- 
ation at one and the same time; and this can not be, 
unless we clothe him with omnipresence, and make 
him equal with God. Remember that omnipresence 
is by no means necessary to effect this. A being 
might be possessed of power sufficient to influence 
all this fallen world at once, and yet come far short 
of omnipresence. He might still have no influence 
in other worlds, in the other planets, in heaven, in 
incomprehensible infinitude. The Lord has allowed 
himself, if we might so speak, a wide latitude in his 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 213 

creative energy. How vast the knowledge and how 
extensive the influence of an intelligent man, in com- 
parison with the almost invisible insect that floats in 
the air! Well, there may be as wide a chasm be- 
tween men and angels. And when we reflect how 
wide has been the influence of one man for good — 
we may say, for instance, St. Paul — and, on the 
other hand, how extensively ruinous the efforts of a 
Voltaire, we may well conclude that our Creator can 
form a being so stupendous in his powers as to influ- 
ence continually a rebellious world. We think this 
power is ascribed to the devil in the sacred Scrip- 
tures. He is called the "prince of the power of the 
air;" and he sheds this power abroad among the 
children of obedience. But, in addition to all this, 
he is surrounded by fallen angels: 

"They swarm the air; they darken heaven; 
They rule the world below." 

Now, there are great enemies; but we have the assur- 
ance that greater is He who is for us than all who 
are against us; and God has promised to give us 
grace, by which we may ward off all the fiery darts 
of the wicked one, and come off more than con- 
querors, through Him who hath loved us. 

But, on shipboard, they not only look out for 
enemies, but they have to watch their own craft, to 
see that all is right on deck and aloft, to watch the 
wind and sails, and be ready to make or take in, 
as the word may be. So the Christian should watch 
over his own corruptions, and, by divine grace, keep 
the issues of his heart, and be guarded in his words 



214 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

and thoughts. "So shall he to his ways take heed 
in all he says or does." 

Sailors also look out or watch for land. Chris* 
tians can not reach the celestial harbor without pass- 
ing through the straits of death. So they should 
watch for this event always. Sailors scarcely ever 
look out for the port till their reckoning requires it. 
But the Christian dares make no reckoning as it 
regards the end of his voyage. "Ye know not," 
said our Savior, "when the time is; therefore, [for 
that reason,] watch, lest, coming suddenly, I find you 
sleeping." Alas! how many, by neglecting the duty 
of watching, have been run down by their enemies, 
and have been irrecoverably lost! Watch, men — 
watch! 

4. Ships have been wrecked by their commanders 
following too implicitly the example of others. For 
instance: the Harlequin, a sloop-of-war, standing 
down the English channel, with a fleet of merchant- 
men under convoy, supposing she had reached a 
certain point, began to bear away. It was a dark, 
foggy night, and about four o'clock she struck, and 
made one of the most distressing shipwrecks that 
had ever taken place on the coast. Vessel after 
vessel came booming on the rocks, while the thun- 
dering of parting bolts and crushed timbers, together 
with the screams and shrieks of drowning men, 
roused the country round; and the astounded crowd 
that lined the beach could only spread their suppli- 
cating hands above the surf, and echo to their grief. 
If some of the captains had been governed by their 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 215 

own judgments, and had taken counsel of their 
fears, they might have been saved. But, "0, it 
was the Harlequin, his Majesty's sloop-of-war, a 
government vessel, well supplied with naval officers, 
whose home was on the channel." So, away they 
flew, with flowing sheets, to their destruction. Some 
of the dullest sailors, being warned by signal lights 
and minute-guns, escaped the ruin. In the same 
way some precious souls are wrecked, by lean- 
ing on an arm of flesh. "The captain is a wise and 
good man," says one; "surely there is safety in 
keeping in his wake!" "The mate is a professor, 
and very pious, and he does thus and so. It is true 
these things do not sit very easy on my conscience; 
but that may be for want of more light in the bin- 
nacle. In the mean time, there will be safety in fol- 
lowing him." But let us remember that knowledge 
is one thing and piety is another; and many, who 
have known a great deal, have, nevertheless, found- 
ered, and, in their expiring moments, have thrown 
out many signals of distress, and fired their last 
minute-guns, to warn others of the rocks on which 
they have split. Let us follow others, then, only as 
they have followed Christ. 

5. Some have, doubtless, perished at sea with 
starvation. Some have a propensity to go to sea 
too short of provision, and one-half of the time have 
their hands on allowance. It is no marvel, then, 
that sometimes, by a succession of long calms, or 
head-winds, or other disasters, they are reduced to 
short allowance. We knew a captain who was taken 



216 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

off a wreck, who had been seventeen days without 
bread and water, and the most of his crew had per- 
ished with starvation. Such a state of things might 
be the fault of the captain, or might not. But if 
Christians starve to death on their voyage, it will be 
their own fault. It is their own business to see that 
they have ample provision; a good supply of the 
bread and water of life; the hidden manna; the love 
of God. A captain may fall short, and be blameless. 
He may not be able to procure a sufficiency of bread 
in the port which he leaves. His water-casks may 
be washed away, or stove by stress of weather. 
But there is a rich and blood-besprinkled throne of 
grace, to which the Christian may come, and daily 
draw his rations from above; and he may as well 
ask for much as little; for the Captain has said, "Ask 
largely, that your joy may be full." The Lord has 
never yet put his people on short allowance, and 
never will. But too many are straitened in their 
own bowels; half starved; ready to perish in the 
midst of Gospel plenty. 

6. A ship might be lost by putting away a good 
pilot. Before the invention of the compass, vessels 
carried a pilot throughout the voyage. The place 
that was imperfectly supplied by such an officer, is 
now occupied by the compass; and what the ancient 
pilot was and modern compass is to a vessel, con- 
science is to the man. Some passages in Scripture 
are clothed altogether in technical or figurative lan- 
guage; especially where the terms are of common 
parlance, and the application easy; as, for instance: 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 217 

"A little leaven leavens the whole lump." Other 
passages are only partially figurative, lest the sense 
might be obscured, instead of elucidated. This is 
the case with our text. We believe, if the apostle 
had thrown it altogether into technical terms, it 
would have been, " Holding on to the course, and a 
good pilot, which some having put away, have, 
through error in course, made shipwreck." We do 
not intimate that this would have improved Paul's 
language. On the contrary, it would have obscured 
the sense. Very few would have gone to the pains 
of studying out that the Christian's course is the 
way of faith, and that his surest pilot is a rightly- 
instructed conscience. To be conformed to the im- 
provements of the age, we will fasten on the com- 
pass as our figure. A good compass is one that has 
its needle well charged with the magnetic influence. 
If it is properly poised, and can revolve freely, it 
will not fail to be a faithful monitor, or guide, to the 
mariner, as it respects his course. A good conscience 
is one that is purged from dead works, by the blood 
of Christ, regulated by the word of God, and deeply 
imbued with the spirit of divine grace. There are 
several ways in which a good compass may be in- 
jured, and virtually put away. When certain metals 
are either designedly or accidentally secreted about 
the binnacle, they will have their influence on the 
needle, and direct it from its natural point of at- 
traction. 

So a good conscience may be seriously injured by 
unholy attractions. It may be warped from its 



218 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

fidelity, by the influence of the world, the flesh, and 
the devil, as we labored to show in our remarks on 
watching. And again: "a man is tempted when he 
is drawn aside of his own lusts and enticed." It 
would not be too much to say here, that even literal 
metal sometimes spoils the conscience, especially gold 
and silver; for many a poor soul has followed a roll- 
ing dollar to the very hatchway of hell. And we 
are told by the inspired, that those who will be rich, 
involve themselves in a snare, and in "hurtful and 
deceitful lusts, that drown men in perdition." Take 
care! take care, men! Put your shiners in their 
proper locker, and let them not lie between your 
conscience and that sacred light of life which has 
been kindled in your binnacle. When the needle is 
attracted, it has no power of resistance; for God has 
made it so. But when man, an intelligent being, is 
tempted, he can resist. And God has promised that 
he shall not be tempted more than he is able; and 
in every temptation he will open a way for his es- 
cape. Again: a captain might put away a good 
compass, effectually, by throwing it overboard. And 
some Christians have done this very thing with a 
good conscience. They had a good conscience, and 
yet, with the light of the Gospel in their hands, they 
have smothered the voice of God within, and have 
coolly and deliberately made shipwreck of their 
souls. 

II. "What is a shipwreck — a soulwreck? We have 
never been shipwrecked ourself. We have, however, 
been several times in great danger of being cast 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 219 

away. Once, when making the harbor of Cadiz, we 
were suddenly struck by a levanter. At its first 
salute, it swept our square mainsail out of its bolt- 
ropes, like a parchment scroll, and we found our- 
selves in a dreadful predicament, and were threat- 
ened with all the horrors of a lee-shore. We were 
told, subsequently, by the inhabitants on shore, that 
it was the heaviest blow that had been on that coast 
for twenty years. You may judge of its violence, 
when we add, that seventeen vessels, which were in 
the harbor, dragged their anchors, and went ashore; 
and a man-of-war was driven from her moorings, 
with seven anchors out. The people in port saw us 
in the offing, struggling in the tempest, and adjudged 
us to inevitable destruction. Our ship was strong, 
sails and rigging new; but to this day it seems like 
a miracle that we could carry sail at all. Yet we 
did carry a sufficiency to beat, though our leeway 
was appalling. In the midst of our distress, night — 
dark, moonless, starless night — closed around us. It 
is true, we carried sail by the minute, expecting ev- 
ery moment the spars or sails to go. The captain 
said he could not, and would not shorten more. He 
ordered the carpenter to have his ax ready; "for," 
said he, "as soon as a yard snaps, or a sail goes, we 
will cut away the masts, and let her go. Yes, let 
her go on an iron-bound coast, where there is no 
hope of being saved." Never shall I forget that 
night. We had to 'bout ship every hour, still near- 
ing the land with fearful rapidity every tack. We 
would stand in, till we could see the foaming surf, 



220 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

that lashed the rocky shore, piled to the clouds like 
drifted snow; while its heart-sickening roar rose su- 
perior to all the howlings of the tempest. 0, the 
deep solemnity that overshadowed the crew! the 
painful anxiety with which we watched the sails! 
The occasional creaking of a spar, the rattling of a 
block, would sweep tremulously over our nerves like 
a death -knell. And, indeed, it did seem as if the 
bitterness of shipwreck was almost passed. We 
seemed to suffer all but the hasty finale which com- 
monly closes the scene. When all hope of weather- 
ing the land was clean gone, it pleased almighty 
God, by a sudden shift, to lay the tempest itself sud- 
denly on the other tack, and with flowing sheets, 
and merry hearts, we put out to sea. 

Some have been wrecked; but, through the mercy 
of God, all hands have reached shore, and they 
have had their lives for a prey. Others have been 
wrecked and drowned; but even here we have hope, 
that some in their deep distress called upon the name 
of the Lord, and were saved with an everlasting sal- 
vation. But, 0, the shipwreck of an immortal soul! 

When a vessel is wrecked, there is generally an 
entire breaking up — a separation of parts. But the 
soul is a spiritual unit — the breath of the Almighty — 
immortal and indissoluble. It can not be annihilated. 
How, then, is it wrecked? Its powers of perception 
and appreciation are not destroyed. It is true, the 
earthly organs, through which the soul has acted, 
are dissolved; but its power of discernment is not 
impaired; perhaps greatly enhanced. A man who 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 221 

is in the cabin, may look through the window and 
have a view, a partial view, of the seas and heavens; 
but should he come on deck, or ascend into the cross- 
trees, he can with one sweep take in half of the 
horizon. So we suppose it is with the soul. In these 
earthly hulls, it has some perception of outward 
things, as they are seen through the eyes — the nar- 
row and contracted windows of the mind. But when 
the spirit is dislodged, it is one bulb of feeling, vi- 
sion, hearing, perception. As it regards what will 
be its mode of operation, we say not, because we 
know not. But it will certainly possess powers of 
comprehension equal, if not superior, to those which 
we now enjoy. Such powers are ascribed to God 
himself, although a pure and unmixed spirit. They 
are not only ascribed to him in the Scriptures, but 
sustained by the most resistless arguments. The 
prophet reasons, "He that planted the eye, can not 
he see?" True: could he make such a delicate organ, 
and so arrange the nerves to give vision to man, un- 
less he possessed the same power, and was perfectly 
acquainted with the whole science of optics? Sup- 
pose we should show you, in a gallery of paintings, 
a well-finished portrait; its countenance beams with 
animation, and its highly-finished eyes seem to spar- 
kle with life and intelligence; and suppose we were 
to say, that the most remarkable circumstance con- 
nected with it is, that it was drawn by a young man 
who was blind from his birth: could you believe that 
yarn? If a blind man, then, can not imitate an eye, 
how could God make a living one, unless he can see? 



222 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

"He that made the ear, [so as to convey sounds to 
the soul by the auditory nerves,] can not he hear?" 
The damned soul, then, still retains its essential 
powers; but it is wrecked in the enjoyment of them. 
The lost sees; but he is no more delighted with 
lovely landscapes, lascivious representations, spark- 
ling glasses, and scenes of merriment and dissipa- 
tion. He sees! The rich man saw — saw brighter 
than he ever saw in this world. He saw across the 
great and impassable gulf, which stretches between 
heaven and hell; and we can imagine no two points 
more distant from each other. "He saw Lazarus in 
Abraham's bosom." The lost soul can hear; but 
what does he hear? the merriment and revelry, 
the swearing and blasphemy, the music and lascivi- 
ous songs, which once delighted his ears? No; but 
he hears the ceaseless thunders and explosions of 
hell, the shrieking of damned souls, the bowlings of 
infuriated devils, weeping and wailing, and gnashing 
of teeth. The rich man heard. He heard Abraham, 
across the great gulf, saying, "Son, thou in thy life- 
time hadst thy good things, and Lazarus his evil 
things; but now he is comforted, and thou art tor- 
mented." The rich man felt; he felt most exqui- 
sitely; he exclaimed in his bitter anguish, "0, father 
Abraham, I am tormented in this flame!" A total 
wreck of all enjoyment! 0, draw nigh, all ye that 
pass by, and see if there was ever any sorrow like 
this sorrow — any wreck like this awful soul wreck! 
See! see! the whirling billows of fire and brimstone, 
crowded with immortal souls; and every time they 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 223 

rise above the fiery surge, they yell, methinks, with 
a voice that shakes the remotest caverns of damna- 
tion. " 0, eternity! eternity! who can tell the length 
of an endless eternity?" 

"0, wretched state of deep despair! 
To see their God remove, 
And place their doleful station where 
They can not taste his love." 

But here the devil's minister comes along with his 
master's old favorite text, "Thou shalt not surely 
die." And he says to the humble Christian, " Why, 
brother, could you find it in your heart to damn a 
poor soul? Look around; pick out your worst ene- 
my; and then I will ask you, could you send him, 
for one day, into such a place as they say hell is?" 
Mind, "they say." He means Christ, his apostles, 
and all evangelical ministers. He is not quite as 
open as his master. He said, "Has the Lord God 
said?" and then proceeded with a flat contradiction. 
The Christian ingenuously answers, as he should do, 
"I would damn no one; but pray for all — friends 
and enemies." "Then," says the Universalist, "you 
pretend to be better than God; for you say God will 
damn all impenitent sinners." But avast heaving, 
Mr. Universalist; and now do you come up to the 
catechism. Do you see that homeward-bound ship, 
dancing into port? She has passed through many a 
storm; but she is now nearing the land. She is 
crowded with passengers — men, women, and chil- 
dren. In the prospect of a safe and happy arrival, 
their hearts are bounding with joy. Who can de- 
scribe the bright prospects and pleasing anticipations 



224 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

that are looming before them! Well, sir, could you 
find it in your heart to scuttle that vessel, if you 
had it in your power, and sink such an amount of 
human happiness? Say: speak out. "Why, no; 
I could not sink those men, women, and children." 
Well, the Lord does, almost every month, destroy 
vessels under just such circumstances; but does it 
argue that you are better than God? 

The truth is, man is no God. He can not see, as 
God sees, the sinfulness of sin, or the wide-spread 
ruin that it would work, if permitted to rage with 
unbridled power. If man was as holy as God is 
holy — as just, as merciful, as wise, as omnipotent, 
as good as he, man would do exactly as God has 
done. We are vile sinners ourselves, and it is not 
surprising that, in a strong case, human sympathy 
should reign predominant. We could not expect a 
court, that was made up of smugglers, robbers, and 
pickpockets, would condemn a pirate as quick as a 
more virtuous court would. The great question is, 
has the Lord God said, that the wicked shall go 
away into everlasting punishment? If so, we can 
not honor him, by exalting his mercy at the expense 
of his veracity. 

The soul is wrecked in all its false hopes. In this 
life, the sinner builds on many false hopes. He says 
the denunciations in the Bible are only figurative, 
and refer merely to the ills of this life. Some of 
the most moral predicate their hope of salvation on 
their own goodness, which is an evident token 
of their great spiritual blindness. Others brace 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 225 

themselves up with false doctrines, and hope there 
is no hell; or, if there is, it is only a place of tran- 
sient discipline, to prepare them for the endless en- 
joyment of heaven. But, in that dread day, when 
they shall see the Ancient of days, high and lifted 
up, and his glorious train filling the temple of 
heaven, and when they shall hear him say, " Depart, 
ye cursed, into everlasting fire," there will be no 
more quibbling and disputing about that plain 
phrase, everlasting. Every false hope will fly like 
spoon-drift. Their false keels will be knocked off. 
All their gingerbread work will go by the board, and 
a horrid and eternal shipwreck will be their everlast- 
ing portion. 0, sinner, do you know that you are 
the very man who is even now, every moment, ex- 
posed to this endless maelstrom? 

41 Lo! on a narrow neck of land, 
"Twist two unbounded seas, you stand, 

Secure, insensible ; 
A point of time, a moment's space, 
Will land you in that heavenly place, 
Or shut you up in hell!" 

III. But, thank God! there is no necessity of a 
soul wreck. It is the will of our heavenly Father 
that we should weather every foe, and get safely 
into port. To enable us to do this, he has given us 
an infallible chart — the precious Bible. Are we 
in danger of falling short of provision and small 
stores, it directs us where to put in, and get bread 
and water, "wine and milk," Gospel grace, "with- 
out money and without price." Does the storm 
come down upon us too heavy for our frail barks, it 
15 



226 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

teaches us where we may scud away for safety, and 
find "a hiding-place from the wind — a covert from 
the tempest." He has sent his Holy Spirit to 
sprinkle and breathe upon our sails — to sanctify and 
inspire all the ransomed powers of our minds. 
With all his divine aid, it will be an unpardonable 
fault of ours if we are not properly ballasted with 
divine love. Let us watch and pray. Let us grow 
in grace and in the knowledge of God. Let us not 
give chase to every strange sail, however large they 
may loom, but hold on to our course, and mind our 
own reckoning — follow none, but such as stand up to 
the law and the testimony. Let us look well to our 
compass, and keep our lamps well trimmed, bright, 
and burning. "And if we do these things we shall 
never fall;" for God has promised that an entrance 
shall be abundantly ministered to us into the ever- 
lasting kingdom of his dear Son. An abundant en- 
trance! It implies that we shall not want for a fair 
wind and good pilot; for a ship about to enter a 
strange port would be greatly straitened by a foul 
wind; especially when without a pilot. An abund- 
ant entrance implies that every bar shall be removed. 
Yes; the devil will not be permitted to run a chevaux 
de frieze athwart your cutwater- way. A free en- 
trance! No hinderance by blockade, duties, or quar- 
antine. In some Spanish harbors we have to ride 
quarantine for forty days, and then submit to many 
superstitious rites and ceremonies, before we can 
step ashore. Yes; and the old, idolatrous Church 
of Rome speaks of a kind of quarantine ground, or 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 227 

purgatory, where its best members must ride for a 
season, before they enter heaven. But when Martin 
Luther examined the old chart, and explored all the 
coast betwixt heaven and hell, he found no laza- 
retto there. We will enter freely — enter largely. 
If we have an abundant administration, of course 
we will find a wide berth — good moorings — other- 
wise we would be straitened in our arrival. 0, me- 
thinks I see the happy soul nearing the heavenly 
shore! Light ho! light ho! See the hallowed star 
of Bethlehem shedding its bright pathway athwart 
the gloomy gulf! "Steady, boy; steady!" But 
what pellucid stream is this that gushes forth to meet 
the ransomed one? It is the river of life that issues 
from beneath the throne. Behold the bending trees 
on either side, and the myriads of happy ones that 
crowd its sacred banks! Hear, 0, hear the apples 
of glory rolling on deck, as she scrapes along the 
boughs of the tree of life! And now the city of 
saints heaves in view. O, the ineffable brightness 
that pours through all the wide-spread gates of the 
new and heavenly Jerusalem! "Overhaul your 
cable, and stand by the shank-painter!" and still 
the ministering spirits warp her on— warp her on! 
" Brush up your long-togs and Sunday-go-shores!" 
Fly wide — fly wide, ye everlasting docks, and let an 
heir of heaven in! Nigher and nigher! Right up 
to the pier-head of endless glory! Chock block 
and belay! Glory be to God! made fast for a full 
due, where not a spray of trouble will stain her spot- 
less decks forever and ever! There is, however, some 



228 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

difference between the saints reaching heaven and 
sailors coming into port. When homeward bound, 
the seamen, and passengers, too, anticipate more 
than they ever realize; so that it has become a com- 
mon saying, " There is more pleasure in the pros- 
pection than in the possession." As they draw near 
home, the excitement becomes more and more in- 
tense; but the moment they touch the shore the in- 
toxication is over. There is a sudden falling off. 
The sober hue of reality falls on every object, and 
the sailor almost sighs for the wheel of time to roll 
back, that he may quaff the delicious cup of antici- 
pation over again. It is not so with the saint in 
light. His anticipations are more than realized; for 
eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered 
into the heart of man to conceive of that glory that 
is laid up for the faithful. Here we think, some- 
times, that our preachers are too florid, too meta- 
phorical, too free, if not presumptuous, in speaking 
of the joys of heaven. But once there, and we will 
look back and wonder that their highest strains of 
eloquence were so mean, so meager, so beggarly; 
and we will, doubtless, exclaim, with the queen of 
the south, "Behold, the half of it was not told us!" 
St. Paul, in describing this glory, calls it a "weight 
of glory," to show that it is no ghostly or moon- 
beam enjoyment, but that it is solid and substantial. 
Still not satisfied with this, he calls it "an eternal 
weight." Did ever the world hear before of an 
eternal weight? We have some idea of hundreds 
and tons, however much they may be multiplied; 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 229 

but an eternal weight! Still not satisfied, he calls it 
"a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory!" 
And yet, when this same Paul was caught up into 
the third heavens, and permitted to look into the 
harbor, he declares that he saw sights and heard 
words that it is not lawful for a man to utter. He 
does not say that he was forbidden; but the laws of 
language and of human interchange of thought 
were not sufficient for such a communication. How 
happy the soul that will enter into this glory! As 
the mariner, who has made his escape to shore, 
looks back, with a peculiar interest, to the dangers 
through which he has passed, so the once tempest- 
beaten soul will look back at the storms and conflicts 
of this life, and exclaim, " Saved! saved! To God 
be all the glory! Saved with an everlasting salva- 
tion! 0, death, where is thy sting? 0, grave, 
where is thy victory?" 

REFLECTIONS. 

1. All who live and die in sin must be wrecked. 
There is but one point in all the moral horizon that 
will lead to heaven, and that is the cardinal point 
of faith. It is not sufficient that a man cherish this 
grace or that grace, this virtue or that virtue: 
" Through faith ye are saved." 

'J The way the holy prophet went — 
The road that leads from banishment." 

On the other hand, every other point leads to ruin — 
to shipwreck. A man may be an abandoned drunk- 
ard, and mankind may charge him with no other 



230 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

crime; but if he holds on to his course, it ay ill end 
in shipwreck. Another may despise drunkenness, 
and yet blaspheme his Maker. He is bound for hell. 
Another may avoid all this, but pursue some other 
course equally offensive to God, and equally ruinous 
to his own soul. Indeed, our natural corruption 
alone is sufficient to sink us down to eternal despair; 
and he who "believeth not" will be shipwrecked. 
We have not, however, pursued this at large, be- 
cause our text is silent in regard to the finally im- 
penitent, and it speaks only in reference to the people 
of God, which leads us to say, 

2. That while the unbeliever mast be shipwrecked, 
the Christian may be. In our context the apostle 
tells us that some had put away a good conscience, 
and concerning faith had made shipwreck. Yes; he 
even mentions names. Of this number, or "of 
whom, is Hymeneus and Alexander." This state- 
ment itself will not be questioned. Those who may 
not like it may undertake to explain it away, by 
saying that their faith was not evangelical, and that 
their conscience was not good. But then there is 
an insurmountable difficulty. It is exactly the kind 
of faith and conscience that Paul exhorts Timothy, 
a Christian bishop, to hold on to; and surely he 
would not advise his beloved son in the Gospel to 
hold on to a spurious faith and foul conscience. 
But it is enough to console the saint that, if he 
holds on to faith and a good conscience, he may be 
persuaded that "neither life nor death, nor princi- 
palities nor powers, nor hight nor depth, nor things 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 231 

present nor things to come, nor any other creature, 
shall be able to separate him from the love of God, 
which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord." 



We trust forever more, 

0, Jesus Christ, in thee; 
The God who saves upon the shore 

Is mighty on the sea. 

By thy unerring chart 

We'll navigate our way; 
We will not from our course depart, 

Or conscience cast away. 

Thy fair, celestial light 

Will cheer us through the day; 
We'll keep a bright look-out at night, 

Nor cease to watch and pray. 

While, drawn with cords of love, 
We'll near the port divine, 

Till, anchored with the fleet above . 
We'll swell the royal line. 



232 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 



SERMON X. 
A Short Trip. 

When, outward bound, the ship departs, 

Propelled by generous gales, 
With lively songs, and bounding hearts, 

The seamen trim their sails. 

They clear the wharves — they clear the fort — 

They swiftly — gayly glide, 
By ling'ring, gazing friends in port, 

Who still at anchor ride. 

The town, with all its spires, and charms, 

Has faded in their view : 
The meadows, orchards, woods, and farms, 

Are fast receding too. 

And ere the shades of evening fall, 

So rapid is their flight, 
That beacons, light-house, land, and all, 

Have glided out of sight. 

Just so, our days and years have fled, 

As fast as time can waft ; 
And joys that now loom large ahead, 

Will founder soon abaft. 

Our sorrows — troubles — in their turn, 

Will their departure take ; 
For soon we'll drop them all astern, 

To strangle in our wake. 

We pass our childhood, pass our noon, 
Through good, through bad report ; 

And our fast-sailing vessels soon 
Will anchor in the port. 

There will our rapid voyage end, 

And we no longer roam ; 
And He, who is the sailor's friend, 

Will welcome Christians home. 



Lorraine Sea-Sermons. 233 

"They are passed away as the swift ships," Job ix, 26. 

There is no subject in which the children of men 
are more deeply interested, than that of death. There- 
fore, there is a great variety of figures used in the 
Scriptures, to impress our minds with a proper sense 
of the shortness of life and the rapidity of time. 
"What is your life?" says one; "it is even a vapor, 
that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth 
away." It is again represented by fading flowers, 
and perishing grass. Sometimes it is compared to a 
post — a mail — to a weaver's shuttle — to an eagle 
hastening to its prey. In our text, it is well figured 
by the fast-sailing ships. In all this, we see the 
mercy of God, in adapting the language of truth to 
all orders of men, and to every condition. The 
fading flower is a beautiful metaphor to the botanist, 
or farmer; the weaver's shuttle, the eagle darting 
on his prey, and the swift post-boy, may do for oth- 
ers; but the sailor seldom has an opportunity of 
observing these things. He is not in the habit of 
roving the flowery meadows, and moralizing on the 
fading grass, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cut 
down, and cast into the oven. Still, he also must 
die. The word of God points him to the fast-sailing 
ship, as an emblem of his brief career. To him, 
the swiftness of the ship is familiar. When stand- 
ing down the river, with a stiff breeze, sweeping 
tide, and all sail set, we can not avoid remarking 
the rapidity of the vessel, and the velocity with which 
the objects around us seem to recede. When two 



234 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

ships pass each other at sea, the figure presents it- 
self in all its force and beauty. There is hardly any 
thing which transpires, that strikes with more thrill- 
ing effect on the dull uniformity of a sea-life, than 
the appearance of a sail. The tremulous cry of 
" Sail ho! sail ho!" rouses every soul on board, from 
the cabin to the fore-peak. The vessel is first seen 
as a dark speck in the distant horizon. Owing to 
the rotundity of the earth, only the lofty sails are 
seen. But as she approaches, she looms larger and 
larger. Every spy-glass is leveled; every eye is 
strained. She comes! she comes! rolling and floun- 
dering like some living monster of the great deep! 
When there is a stiff breeze, there is hardly time 
to pass the usual salutations, "Whence came ye? 
whither are ye bound?" before she has passed. The 
hoarse voice of the trumpet breaks in unintelligible 
murmurs on the whistling winds, and she is gone! 
We look astern, and she is hovering like a dark bird 
in our distant wake: so passeth away the swift-sail- 
ing ship. At such times, a reflection on the short- 
ness of life, and the rapid flight of time, will flash 
across the most careless mind on board. 

"Time, like an ever-rolling stream, 
Bears all its sons away ; 
They fly, forgotten, as a dream 
Dies at the opening day." 

What is the length of human life, when brought 
into comparison with the endless eternity to which 
we are bound? No more than a drop of water when 
compared to the mighty ocean. Indeed, we might 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 235 

say, not so much; for the ocean is made up of drops; 
and although they might be so numerous, that an 
angel's mind might not be able to cast the mighty 
sum, yet, if one drop should be evaporated every 
day, without its place being supplied by the grand 
laboratory of nature, the period would come when 
the place of the great deep would be dry. But if 
a million of years were smitten from eternity, what 
vacuum would it make ? We may well smile at 
the simplicity of the question; for eternity is a state 
that can neither be added to nor taken from. Our 
antediluvian fathers lived for centuries; but they 
have passed away like the swift-sailing ships. The 
measure of human life is now reduced to threescore 
years and ten; all beyond is sorrow and affliction of 
soul. One-third of our time must necessarily be 
spent in sleep, to recruit our wasted strength from 
time to time. And when we come to gather up our 
priceless moments, that can be exclusively applied 
to our mental and moral improvement, we are con- 
strained to exclaim, 

"A point of time — a moment's space, 
May land us in that heavenly place, 
Or shut us up in hell." 

And let us consider how few pass the meridian of 
life, especially as it regards sea-faring men; while 

"Dangers stand thick through all the ground, 
To push us to the tomb ; 
And fierce diseases wait around, 
To hurry mortals home." 

It is true that, when we were children, time seemed 
to move slowly. It then appeared like an age from 



236 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

one holiday to another* But when we look back, it 
seems as though it were yesterday that we were 
engaged in our childish frolics. Where are our 
pleasures, our afflictions, our smiles, our tears, our 
toys of other days? They have passed, all passed 
away, like the swift-sailing ships! 

It is our highest wisdom to study what improve- 
ment we can now make of our fleeting moments. 

1 . Life is short; but we must not despise it on that 
account. If those who are engaged in a literal voy- 
age, should despise it because it is short, what evils 
might ensue! The captain says, "My voyage is 
short: I am not bound to China, or on an exploring 
expedition; therefore, I need not be very particular 
in my reckoning, or nice in my calculations." The 
officers say, "As it is a short trip, we need not be 
overmuch careful in storing our provisions and water- 
casks. So, so! avast! one round turn will do; make 
fast; we will soon have to unlash them again." The 
sailors say, "A short passage: what is the use of 
being so particular in mending these sails? Bear a 
hand, boys; a long stitch for the merchant." 

Who does not see, that, however short the voy- 
age may be, such conduct might be very ruinous to 
all concerned? Short voyages are frequently dan- 
gerous, and sometimes fatal. During the last war 
with England, when our army was returning from 
the defeat of Proctor, several companies were em- 
barked on board a schooner. Some who had not 
been accustomed to travel by water, thought it a 
perilous undertaking. The lake was so small, com- 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 231 

paratively speaking, and the voyage so short, that 1 
felt disposed to make myself merry with their fears, 
Many of the soldiers becoming seasick, retired into 
the hold. The weather became very stormy, and 
presently a heavy squall struck us. The blast itself 
was not, perhaps, sufficient to capsize her; but just 
at that time an enormous long-torn, which was car- 
ried amidships, breaking its lashing, slued its muz- 
zle to leeward; and this, together with a general 
rush of soldiers below, laid her on her beam ends; 
the water gushed into the lee-hatchway, and the 
soldiers gushed out, and for a few moments inevita- 
ble destruction stared us in the face. A sailor, who 
was in the lee-scuppers, had the presence of mind 
to let fly the fore -sheet, and we soon righted again. 
Here I received a just rebuke for despising all dan- 
ger, because the voyage was short. I found it was 
sufficiently long, and the water sufficiently deep, to 
land us all in an endless eternity. 

Now, there are some who despise life because it 
is short. They say, "Life is so short, that there is 
no use in acquiring a liberal education, in securing 
a good home, or in engaging in any important en- 
terprise. We are here to-day, gone to-morrow; let 
us eat, drink, and be merry." Such people sink 
into a state of idleness, or ennui, if into nothing 
worse; and they find in the end that the voyage, 
though short, is sufficiently long to sink ship and 
cargo, soul and body, into bottomless and everlasting 
perdition. But, notwithstanding they speak lightly 
of time, yet they will say, " Come, let us have a 



238 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

song, or a game of cards, to Mil time. 7 ' And they 
do effectually kill time; for many of them do not 
live out half their days. 

2. We should not despise life because it is short; 
for it is sufficiently long to secure everlasting life. 

Sometimes a very short voyage has made splendid 
fortunes. This short voyage of life is long enough 
to make us rich in faith, and heirs of an everlasting 
kingdom. 

This will appear from the very economy of salva- 
tion: "By grace ye are saved through faith.' 1 Now, 
if our salvation were by works, truly it would oc- 
cupy much time. Works and time are inseparably 
connected. It would take some time to build a ship. 
It would take much more time to build and fit out a 
navy; and we find that time is always consumed in 
proportion to the magnitude of the work. Now, as 
the salvation of the soul is the most important of all 
work, the usual term of human life would be too 
short to accomplish it. Yea, an eternity itself could 
hardly wash our stains away. But salvation is 
through faith — through the act of a mental or spir- 
itual gift of God; and, therefore, is instantaneous. 
The experience of all the New Testament saints 
proves this. All the conversions mentioned in the 
Gospel are of this character. Look at the Philip- 
pian jailor! What was he, and who was he, when 
he received Christ's ministers into custody? He 
was a wicked, godless, and cruel man. In virtue 
of his office, it was his duty to receive the prisoners 
and to keep them safely; but it was no official duty 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 239 

to treat them ill. He, however, seemed to rejoice 
that his office afforded him an opportunity to join in 
the general persecution; and it is said he thrust 
them into an inner prison, and made them fast in 
stocks and irons. He then lay down in all his sins 
and guilt upon his pillow. But about midnight he 
was roused by a mighty earthquake, and he found 
the prison doors all open; and, supposing that the 
prisoners were fled, he was about to cap the climax 
of his wretchedness by falling upon his sword, when 
he heard the voice of the apostle, saying, "Do 
thyself no harm; we are all here." He then fell 
down, trembling, before him, and said, ''What must 
I do to be saved?" The answer was short, but 
weighty: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and 
thou shalt be saved." The next morning the sun 
rose on a happy Christian family. In the evening 
he was a wicked heathen, cruel as the grave; at 
midnight a self-murderer in intention; and in the 
morning filled with righteousness, and peace, and 
joy in the Holy Ghost. Such is the dispatch of 
salvation. 

Again: see the unhappy criminal who suffered 
with our Lord! Where was he on the night pre- 
ceding the crucifixion? Shut up in a filthy dungeon, 
probably drinking, swearing, reveling with compan- 
ions of like cast — the next morning nailed to the 
cross. Knowing that a dangerous murderer had 
been preferred to our Lord, he hoped to raise the 
sympathy of the mob by reviling the Savior. Vain 
hope! Christ was unjustly condemned; but he was 



240 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

receiving the proper reward of his crimes. Amid 
the awful manifestations of Divine power that at- 
tended the passion of our Lord, the unhappy crim- 
inal saw his error, was overwhelmed with remorse, 
and said to our Savior, "Lord, remember me, when 
thou comest into thy kingdom." The Son of God, 
tortured with the agonies of the cross, and the 
mental anguish of the sins of the whole world, did 
not forget the work that brought him down from 
heaven; but, turning his dying eyes upon his guilty 
companion in woe, said, "To-day shalt thou be with 
me in paradise." Amazing promptitude of God's 
grace! In the evening reveling in his loathsome 
cell, torn by the lashes of a guilty conscience; in 
the morning writhing upon the cross, and perse- 
cuting the Lord of life; repenting, believing, justi- 
fied, washed, and, before the setting of the sun of 
that eventful day — glory be to God! — by such an 
escort as prophet, priest, nor king ever had, he is 
ushered into paradise, as a striking trophy of Christ's 
redeeming grace and dying love! 

The conversions which took place on the day of 
Pentecost were sudden conversions. So were those 
in the house of Cornelius. When Paul was preach- 
ing on the banks of a river, the flame of Gospel 
grace melted down, in one moment, the heart of 
Lydia, and she was baptized, with all her house- 
hold. The powerful convictions of Saul of Tarsus 
lasted three days; but in the moment he believed 
the scales fell from his eyes. Then, the shortest life 
of man is sufficiently long to waft us to the land of 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 241 

rest, the saints' delight, the heaven prepared for all 
the faithful. 

3. Our voyage is short; therefore, we should not 
overvalue it. 

We should not set our hearts upon it. However 
pleasant a literal voyage may be, men are not in the 
habit of placing such a high estimate upon it as to 
mistake the means for the end — the voyage for the 
port or end -which they have in view. They do not 
calculate on being always at sea. True, they will 
make arrangements to render their voyage as agree- 
able as possible. They will prepare bedding and 
small stores, and every convenience for the passage; 
but they will live in reference to the port ahead. 
Their conversation will be mostly about the end of 
the voyage. They will frequently ask the captain 
and officers, "What headway have we made in the 
last twenty-four hours? What do you suppose are 
the bearings and distance of the destined port? Is 
this present breeze favorable?'* They will love to 
talk for hours about the place to which they are 
bound, and will speak with rapturous allusions 
about the end of the voyage. So Christians should 
not fall in love with their voyage, and fix their af- 
fections on earth. They should not rear imperisha- 
ble palaces, as though they were to stay here forever. 
This is not our home — our port — but our voyage. 
Our principal conversation should be about the New 
Jerusalem to which we are bound. It is lawful 
to make ourselves comfortable on our passage, and 
to have wherewithal to relieve those in distress; and 
16 



242 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

although it may be painful in the end to part with 
our shipmates and fellow-passengers who have not 
reached their destination, yet, by the grace of God, we 
should joyfully step on shore when our voyage is up. 

4. Our voyage is short; consequently, there is but 
little time to do our work in, as good sailors of Jesus 
Christ. 

All that we can, by the help of God, do for our- 
selves, for the Church, and for our fellow-men, must 
be done in this short life. Here the work of faith, 
the work of God, must be done. Here we must 
perfect holiness in the fear of the Lord. Here we 
must show our faith by our works — by giving our 
labor, our talents, our money, to promote the glory 
of God and the salvation of man. Here we may 
relieve the suffering widow, the abandoned orphan, 
the houseless wanderer, the poor, shipwrecked sailor. 
But in the city of saints there are no weeping wid- 
ows, no starving orphans, no houseless wanderers, 
no shipwrecked seamen, no heathen to be converted, 
no Gospel to be preached. The ministers, having 
shouted their harvest home,- will ground their silver 
trumpets at Jesus' feet, and enter into their rest; 
and, in that great, decisive day, if it appears that 
any thing has been left undone which ought to have 
been done, it will then be too late to rectify our 
omissions. Hence, our Lord has commanded us to 
work while we have the light, before the night 
cometh, when no man can work. Surely, this is 
the best policy — a policy observed by all provident 
people. See that poor, industrious widow, working 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 243 

late at night by her flickering candle. She has put 
her little children to bed; but they will not sleep, 
and are calling on their mother to follow them to 
rest; but she looks at her wasting candle, and says, 
"Hush, dears — hush! This piece of work must be 
finished, or to-morrow you will cry for bread. My 
candle is almost gone, and I must work while I have 
the light." Then her fingers and needle will move 
with increasing velocity. Or see that captain who 
is making for the harbor. The entrance is danger- 
ous, and there is no pilot. The sun is hastening 
down. He orders his officer to call all hands. 
" Bear a hand! bear a hand! The day is almost 
gone. We must get in while we have the light, or 
we will be obliged to stand off; and Heaven only 
knows what storms and tempests await us, or 
whether we may ever see land again. Get out all 
your light sails, and clap on every rag of canvas. 
We must work while it is day." So it is with the 
Christian pilgrim. The world may call here, the 
flesh may tempt there, and the devil may draw on 
every hand; but he will say, 

"Let me alone; for I -will serve God, 
And serve him till I die." 

5. As this life is short and transient, but the life to 
come permanent and everlasting, we should be careful 
to transfer much of our treasure to heaven. 

This, we know, is not the doctrine of the irre- 
ligious. They say, "Life is short, and when we die 
we can not carry our property with us; so the best 
we can do is to spend it in the full enjoyment of this 



244 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

life, as we go along." This saying, which is so 
common in many mouths, is in flat contradiction to 
the truth of God. We can remit our property to 
heaven. True, we can not remove it there in bulk, 
as the sailor would say; but we can lay it up there 
in enhanced value. If a farmer in England wished 
to remove to America, we know that he could not 
embark his houses and farm on shipboard, and bring 
them over; but he might sell them for their full 
value, and get bills of exchange on this country; 
and, although he might land with nothing but his 
staff in his hand, yet, as soon as he presents his bills, 
he realizes all his property, and, by his removal, 
might better his condition a hundred-fold. The 
Christian can not carry his lands and houses to 
heaven; and it is well that he can not. The most 
splendid palace on earth would be a disgusting blot 
on the high and fair plains of glory; but he who 
gives to the poor and to the cause of righteousness 
lends to the Lord. A minute account of all his 
pious expenditures is kept in heaven, even to cups 
of cold water; and, although his soul may land 
naked in eternity, yet he will hold drafts on the bank 
of the new and heavenly Jerusalem; and, thank 
God! they will not be protested, but paid down on 
the capstan with interest — compound interest. If 
this is not so, why does our Savior say, "Lay up 
for yourselves treasure in heaven, where moth and 
rust can not corrupt, and where thieves can not 
break through and steal." Why does he say, "Pro- 
vide yourselves bags that wax not old — a treasure 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 245 

in the skies?" and again, "Make to yourselves 
friends of the mammon of -unrighteousness, that 
when you fail on earth they may receive you into 
everlasting habitations?" 

If you had an intention of embarking soon, for 
some new country, where you expected to spend the 
remnant of your days, would you not be anxious to 
transfer all your property there that you can well 
spare? Now, the Christian knows that heaven is 
his eternal home; and, if so, it is his best interest to 
lay up treasure there, that he may not skulk into the 
dock, as a poor, destitute pauper, but may cast his 
moorings among the aristocracy of glory — an aris- 
tocracy not founded on family or noble blood, but 
on holiness of heart, and faith that works by love. 

6. Life is short. This should reconcile Chris- 
tians to their afflictions. 

When men encounter many disasters and ills at 
sea, if it is a short voyage, that circumstance affords 
considerable alleviation. They will say, " Cheer 
up, my hearties! The trip is short, and these suf- 
ferings will soon be over. 

' Though fierce is the hlast, 
Yet it quickly will pass.' " 

It was this idea that helped to comfort Paul in all 
his afflictions. They were not few. He was in 
perils on the land; in perils on the sea; twice ship- 
wrecked, and a day and a night floating about, per- 
haps on some broken pieces of timber; whipped, 
stoned, and persecuted; but he lashed all these to- 
gether into one circumstance, and called them a 



246 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

" light affliction;" and why? because they were "but 
for a moment ," in comparison with that "far more 
exceeding and eternal weight of glory," which will 
be revealed at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
The Christian suffers in this brief life all that he 
ever will endure through the countless ages of time 
and eternity. The hour of death will be to him the 
birthday of an endless bliss; and well may he sing 
here, in the house of his pilgrimage, 

"I would not live always; I ask not to stay, 
Where storm after storm rises dark o'er the way. 
I would not live always, away from my God, 
Away from yon heaven — yon blissful abode ; 
Where the rivers of pleasure flow o'er th' bright plains, 
And the noontide of glory eternally reigns." 

0, ye suffering shipmates, bear up! bear up, awhile! 
breast your tarpaulins to the blast! 

" The storms of wint'ry time will quickly pass, 
And one unbounded spring encircle all." 

7. Life is short. This consideration should prop- 
erly affect the wicked. They must know that if they 
live and die in sin, all the enjoyments that they ever 
will have, must be crowded into this short, passage. 
The hour of death, to them, will be the commence- 
ment of endless woe, affliction, and anguish. We 
do not say, that they have no pleasure here. If it 
were the condition of our salvation, that we should 
drag out here an existence of perpetual pain and 
agony, and then go to enjoy an eternity of bliss, 
this would be infinitely preferable to our enjoying all 
the pleasures of sin for a season, and then going to 
reap eternal woe. But the Lord exacts no such 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 247 

condition. He calls us to be happy here, and happy 
to all eternity. He requires us to sacrifice nothing 
but sin — nothing but that which hurts us here, and 
which will ruin us hereafter. "My son, give me 
thy heart." 

8. Our voyage is short; therefore, we should en- 
deavor to make it happy and safe. Christ has pre- 
pared an ark, for the saving of our souls — a safe 
packet — the Church of the living God, the pillar and 
ground of the truth. If life were longer, it would 
be happy, with Christ for our invisible Captain, and 
in company with that homeward-bound crew, who 
are returning to Mount Zion with songs of everlast- 
ing joy and deliverance on their heads. And though 
our years roll into eternity, like the swift-sailing 
ships, yet will they discharge their valuable freight 
at Jesus' feet, where moth and rust can not corrupt. 
But it is asked by some, "Why should we unite with 
the Church? why may we not scull our own yawl? 
can not the ministers feel as deep an interest in us, 
and can not the Church pray as earnestly for us, as 
if we were on board?" We answer, that the minis- 
ters of Christ do feel a painful interest in all who 
are struggling for the shores of eternal life; and the 
Church prays for them. But we know not where 
they are, or who they are. Hence we pray uncer- 
tainly — we pray conditionally — "Lord, if there are 
any," etc. But that cold word if, clips our prayers 
of more than half their faith and energy. Were 
such characters to come and throw themselves under 
the watch-care of the Church, then we would see 



248 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

them and know them, and we could say, "Lord, 
here they are!" and the tears, and the prayers, and 
the groans of the whole Church, would in one united 
ardor rise to heaven, and the Lord would send an- 
swers of peace and salvation down. There would 
be no round turns nor half-hitches — no ifs nor ands. 
We might give an illustration. 

On a cold winter's night, I was sitting by my fire, 
in the parsonage. A dreadful gale was blowing, 
and the cold was unusually severe. I began to 
think of poor sailors, as I commonly do on such oc- 
casions. Supposing that many might be homeward- 
bound, at that season of the year, it appeared to me 
not at all unlikely that some, at that very moment, 
might be suffering shipwreck on the coast. The very 
thought affected my heart, and immediately the 
whole scene was before my imagination: the thunder 
of riven timbers, the bursting of bolts, the shrieking 
of women and children; and I buried my face in my 
hands, and began to pray that God might have mer- 
cy on any who were about to make their last plunge. 
I shortly after learned, through the papers, that on 
that very night a most distressing shipwreck took 
place on our coast. About two hundred emigrants 
and seamen perished, within a few cable-lengths of 
the shore. Several enterprising sailors put out in 
boats to their rescue, but were driven back by the 
severity of the weather, cased in ice. Now, if I had 
been with the inhabitants of the coast, who crowded 
down to the shore, and kindled their fires on the 
beach, and who saw the awful scene, and who heard 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 249 

the groans, and shrieks, and heart-rending screams 
of men, women, and children, till their last feeble 
sighs were stifled by the icy pressure of death, would 
I not have had a more piercing sense of their dread- 
ful condition? And would I not have been excited 
to more fervent and intense prayer? As it was, I 
was praying for sufferers who might have existed 
only in my own fruitful imagination. In the latter 
case, I would have had them, with their sufferings, 
right before my eyes, and could have urged, "Lord, 
here they are; look down in mercy on the feeble 
toil of mortals, lost to hope; and send deliverance 
down!" 

Preachers and people do pray, indefinitely , for all 
who are in distress — "for all who are traveling by 
sea and by land" — for all who are struggling for 
eternal life; but they pray, particularly, and under - 
standingly, and personally, for all who, by uniting 
with the Church, say, "Brethren, pray for us." 
Come, then, fellow -sinners, enter at once on board 
the good ship Zion. Well might the poet say, 

11 She is built of Gospel timber, Alleluiah !" 

And although she has been often afflicted, tossed 
with tempest, and not comforted, yet, blessed be 
God! she has never sprung a leak, or lost a battle. 

" She has landed millions on the shore, 
And still can land as many more." 

0, it is better to be a green-horn, a land-lubber, a 
cook's scullion, a deck-swabber, on board the old 
ship Zion, than to be high admiral of all the navy 



250 The Square-Rigged Cruiser; or, 

of hell. Come on board, come on board, brother 
sailor, come! Come right up to the quarter-deck of 
salvation! You will receive your bounty, smack 
down upon the capstan, and at the end of your voy- 
age your full wages — life everlasting, and a glorious 
eternity of liberty on shore, where you may 

" Kange the blest fields on the banks of the river, 
And sing halleluiah forever and ever." 

Come on board; come! She is manned with hearts 
of oak — Gospel true-blues — thorough-bred Chris- 
tians, who promised, when they crossed the line, 
"never to eat brown bread when they could get 
white." Come along! 

" See on our social decks, the joyful sailors stand, 
Crying, 0, here we go, to Canaan's happy land!" 

True, the wicked may persecute and deride us, as 
we pass; but 

"We'll sail, while they rail; 
And we'll soon be out of sight." 

Press on, press on, ye happy souls, in your heaven- 
ward cruise! Our poor, adventurous bark shall 
follow close in chase; and when the whirlwinds of 
death shall kiss your swelling sails, and you shall 
leave the stormy surface of life's sea behind, and 
we can do no more, we will round our trembling 
vessel in the wind, and shiver every sail, and stop, 
and stare, and gaze, and wish to follow still in your 
wake. 

" So seemed the prophet, when, to mount on high, 
His Master took the chariot of the sky ; 
The fiery pomp, ascending, left his view, 
The prophet gazed, and wished to follow too." 



Lorrain's Sea-Sermons. 251 

Our days, our years roll on like the swift ships. 
And as the breezes of Calvary waft us onward and 
upward, we may sing, with the pious Richmond, 

"My years roll on! but here's my hope, 
And this my everlasting prop : 
Though seasons change, and I change too, 
My God 's the same — forever true. 

My years roll on, and as they roll, 
O, may they waft my ransomed soul, 
Safe through life's ocean, to yon shore, 
Where sin and sorrow grieve no more ! 

My years roll on ! my soul be still ! 
Guided by love, thy course fulfill ! 
And my life's anxious voyage past, 
My refuge be with Christ at last." 

A wide ocean here opens before us, and we might 
add line upon line, precept upon precept; but time 
is short. Another hour, another day has passed 
away, and we must follow soon. While the wicked 
say, "A short life, and a merry one," let us pray 
for a pious voyage and a safe one. 



When will rebellious seamen cease 

To fight against their God, 
And sue for pardon, grace, and peace, 

Through the atoning blood ? 

Strike, sailor, strike ! no longer dare 

That anger to unfold, 
Whose softest touch would sink you far 

In hell's unfathomed hold. 

Tou can not stay your tottering mast ; 

Your tackling soon must go ; 
While God, with one untempered blast, 

Will lay your streamers low. 



252 The Square-Rigged Cruiser. 

You can not bear his angry frown ; 

'Tis death to fight or fly; 
Then haul your rebel-colors down, 

And loud for quarters cry. 

No longer sail in hell's employ, 
Nor 'gainst the Gospel rave : 

Your God, though mighty to destroy, 
Is powerful to save ; 

And when he hears the suppliant's cries, 
Will bid the warfare cease — 

Will send salvation from the skies, 
And give the mourner peace. 



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